Airline merger sets field for the return of nonstop Augusta to Dallas flight

The skies could be clearing for the return of a direct flight from Augusta to Dallas, an Augusta Regional Airport official said Thursday.

With the merger of American Airlines and US Airways, airport marketing director Diane Johnston said a direct Dallas flight is feasible again. She began talks with US Airways’ representatives when rumors of a merger circled months before Wednesday’s announcement.

American Airlines’ partner, American Eagle, operated an Augusta-Dallas flight from June 2010 until the end of January 2012, shortly after the airline’s parent company filed for bankruptcy protection.

“We were a new market for them and hadn’t had a chance to mature,” Johnston said.

Johnston said direct flights to Orlando and New York City are on the airport’s radar, but the chances are not as great as restoring the Dallas flight.

Also, American Airlines owes Augusta Regional $107,000 from when debts were frozen during bankruptcy. Johnston said she expects the airport to be paid when the merger is complete.

http://chronicle.augusta.com