Mayor Kip Holden says he’s eyeing new economic development opportunities in Florida in light of the addition of Vision Airlines flights at Baton Rouge Metro Airport to and from the Sunshine State. “One of the things we’ll try to do is start forming an additional partnership with Disney,” says Holden, who discussed the new service with airport and Vision officials at a press conference today. “The economic development part of this [new service] is very important.” Holden says he hopes to meet with Disney executives to discuss potential partnerships. He says opportunities may lie in Baton Rouge’s digital media industry and the new downtown library.
Jim Ellis, chairman of the airport commission, says adding a low-cost carrier like Vision has been a top priority in recent years. “It’s going to inject new competition. It’s going to lower the fares,” he says.
Vision received “the standard incentive package” for any new nonstop service to Baton Rouge Metro Airport, says Jim Caldwell, an airport spokesman. The deal includes waived landing fees and some rental fees, as well as $100,000 in in-kind advertising, for the next two years. The entire deal is worth about $300,000, Caldwell says.
Nonstop Vision flights to Northwest Florida Regional Airport will begin on March 25, and one-stop flights to Orlando will take off on April 1. The Destin-Fort Walton Beach flights are offered on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. The airline, which announced last week that Baton Rouge would be included in a 23-city expansion of its services, is targeting the weekend tourism market. “In 2009, 62,000 Baton Rouge residents drove the six to seven hours to Destin for a vacation,” says Clay Meek, Vision sales director. “With this service, they can make the trip in 45 minutes.” —Steve Sanoski
