Myrtle Beach airport goes international again

Monique Newton - mnewton@thesunnews.com

The Myrtle Beach International Airport will offer its first nonstop international flight in more than three years starting in early 2010.

Beginning Feb. 28, Porter Airlines will offer a twice-weekly flight, primarily on Thursdays and Sundays, from the Toronto Island Airport to Myrtle Beach, officials from the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and the Toronto, Ontario-based airline announced Thursday.

The airport has not offered nonstop service to an international destination since Hooters Air, which had a flight to Nassau, Bahamas, shut down in 2006.

"Canadians have always liked being able to visit Myrtle Beach and this will make it a whole lot easier for them to do so," Robert Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines, said by phone at the news conference.

He said he'd received numerous calls Thursday from residents interested in the new flight and that he didn't think the airline has ever had a more positive response to a new destination.

The flights are scheduled through May 30 and one-way fares will start at $179, officials say. The airline has already started accepting reservations.

"We know this will have a tremendous economic impact in the spring as soon as the service starts," said Bill Golden, president of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, a marketing group made up of golf courses and lodging providers.

Nearly half of Canadians who said they opted to go somewhere outside of Myrtle Beach to play golf say its because they couldn't get here efficiently on air service, according to a study recently conducted by the group.

"Clearly, incremental air service is critical to the golf industry and the tourism industry and this will certainly enable many, many more Canadians to come to our golf courses," Golden said.

And the benefits of this new service go beyond tourism, said Hugh Owens, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corp.

"Not only will this serve the traditional tourists that come down here to vacation and play golf and enjoy the beaches that we have in the Myrtle Beach area, but because Toronto, a city of some 5 to 6 million people, is known as one of Canada's principal business centers, we believe it will increase the exposure that Myrtle Beach and Horry County has with the Canadian business community," Owens said.

Horry County Councilman Howard Barnard said the new flights "put the international back into Myrtle Beach International Airport."

The council has lowered landing fees and provided an incentive plan to promote new flights and carriers to the airport, which Barnard said helped bring Porter here.

A major advocate for this air service who has worked for more than a year to foster a conversation between Porter Airlines and Myrtle Beach area leaders is David Wilkins, the former South Carolina Secretary of State and United States Ambassador to Canada and current member of the Porter Airlines board of directors.

"It really could be a game-changer for the Myrtle Beach area," Wilkins said by phone at the news conference. "I'm just very proud of this announcement."

The timing of this new flight is ideal for the city's Canadian-American Days festival, which will be March 13 through March 21 and typically draws about 100,000 visitors, said Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce board chairman Brant Branham.

Now, people traveling to and from Toronto must fly through other cities, such as Niagara Falls and Plattsburg, N.Y., said Lauren Morris, spokeswoman for the Horry County Department of Airports.

"I think what is most exciting about it is that the service is beginning at a time of the year that's our slow time. It's where we really need the infusion of tourists," she said.

With several carriers suspending service for the off-season, the number of people who land in Myrtle Beach is usually between 35,000 and 70,000 during February and March, compared to 90,000 or more in the summer months, according to data from the Horry County Department of Airports.

In addition to the spring months being a prime time for golf enthusiasts, it will work well "for those looking for a little reprieve from the cold and maybe an opportunity to enjoy a bit of warmer weather than we get to experience in this part of world," Deluce said.

The flight will not only benefit Toronto residents, but also those who want to connect from Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City and Thunder Bay, he said.

As with other destinations, Porter Airlines officials will use the three months it operates here to get their "foot in the door" and if it works well, look into more comprehensive service to Myrtle Beach.

Myrtle Beach International Airport has a part-time customs officer and a secure area that is already in use for international charter flights, Morris said.

Depending on how many seats are sold on the Porter flights, the airport may bring in one or two additional customs officers from Charleston, she said.

The flight is about two hours and 20 minutes, and passengers will fly on a Bombardier Q-400 aircraft, which seats 70 people.

Porter Airlines was founded in 2006. It serves eight Canadian cities and has service to Chicago, New York and Boston.

About 852,400 Canadians visited South Carolina in 2007, according to the most recent statewide data from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.