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A new tiny airline called Vision—one that has yet to show up on Expedia or Kayak—is expanding service to so-called second-tier cities nationwide. For residents of cities like St. Louis, and Little Rock, Ark., the great news is that affordable flights to sunny destinations in the lovely American south are now within reach. Sample fare: About $398 round-trip between Atlanta and Las Vegas via Destin, Fla. (plus taxes and fees).
Here's the skinny: Late last year, Vision Airlines, based in Suwanee, Ga., started flying regularly scheduled service on a couple of routes. It is now developing a connecting hub in Destin, Fla. On June 1, it plans to start serving a longer list of airports that will include Atlanta; Louisville; Chattanooga; Gulfport; Ft. Lauderdale; Ft. Myers/Punta Gorda; Knoxville; Lafayette, La.; Las Vegas; Little Rock; Niagara Falls; Orlando Sanford; Savannah; St. Louis; and St. Petersburg. For example, an Atlanta passenger has 13 destinations to choose from, but not all of the cities that Vision serves.
Vision flies a mix of prop planes and Boeing 737 jets, notes the New York Times. Also, the airline "is subject to the same safety and maintenance regulations as their larger counterparts."
Before you book a ticket, know that flights may not be frequent—some routes don't have daily service. So if there's a flight cancellation, you may be stuck for days. Think twice before booking one of these flights for a vital trip, such as to your daughter's wedding.
Small airlines are also prone to going out of business (remember Skybus?). The airline is trying to create a "hub" at Destin-Fort Walton Beach in northern Florida, notes USA Today.
But if you pay with a credit card, as most people do when buying plane tickets, you'll be able to get a refund if the airline vanishes.
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Great news!
Posted By Daniel Moguillansky on May 20, 2011, 9:50 PM
Vision air just cancelled a flight from Buffalo to Miami with little notice and left a lot of people upset. The next flight out is Thursday. Do they really think we all wanted to go to Florida for three days?
Posted By kathy on May 23, 2011, 12:13 PM
I got caught up in the "cheap flight" promotion and bought tickets from St. Louis to Destin. Leaves Friday and returns Monday. My mistake is not thinking about it. Here's what the problem is. Plane arrives Friday night around 7:30 p.m. and returns on Monday leaving Destin at 10 a.m. Now, after I thought about and bought and paid for my non-refundable room on Priceline I've got two days and three nights in Destin for a total for my wife and myselft of over $700 including car. I could've gone to Vegas the same weekend r/t leaving Friday morning and coming home Monday evening with a room at Bally's in a package for $880. I would've had four full days and three nights for only $180 more. Now, if Vision cancels either of the flights I'm really screwed. Not their fault really, but why do they have a plane sitting for over 6 hours in St. Louis when it can turn around and be back in Destin by early afternoon?
Posted By Rick Green on May 23, 2011, 10:09 PM
Why would anyone want to fly atl-las via destin when there are multiple direct flights daily on multiple carries for not much price difference. I think that was a pretty poor choice for reference in this article.
Also, if you book a flight to destin on Vision make sure you are aware that they dont fly into destin beach airport....they fly into the other airport on the north side of the bay which is a 30-45min car ride to all of the hotels, attractions, etc...
Posted By amg on May 24, 2011, 11:34 AM