New airlines serving Vegas from six cities

Thursday, July 10, 2003 | 11:31 a.m.

Two airlines new to the Las Vegas market are adding round-trip flights to and from McCarran International Airport from six cities.

Suburban Atlanta-based TransMeridian Airlines (TMA) announced Wednesday that it would begin twice-a-week round-trip public charter service between Las Vegas and Orlando, Fla.; Toledo, Ohio; Rockford, Ill.; and Syracuse, N.Y., beginning Aug. 28.

TMA said a 200-passenger 757 would be used on the Las Vegas routes.

The Orlando and Rockford flights will be offered Thursdays and Sundays and the Toledo and Syracuse trips will run Fridays and Mondays.

The primary difference between public charters and regularly scheduled commercial service is that charter airlines cannot spend money collected from passengers until the trip is completed, said Charlie McDonald, chief operating officer of TMA.

Meanwhile, a Largo, Fla., charter airline will take over routes developed earlier this year between Allentown, Pa., and Las Vegas, but will make them one-stop trips.

Southeast Airlines, which operates as part of Southeast Vacations on charters between the Midwest and several Florida cities, will operate two flights a week to Las Vegas beginning Saturday.

Scott Bacon, a spokesman for the airline, said Southeast is taking over routes developed by Interstate Jet, a tour company that struggled to lease planes and hire crews to fly them. Interstate Jet inaugurated twice-a-week round trips between Allentown's Lehigh Valley International Airport and McCarran International Airport in May.

When Southeast takes over the route, it will modify the days the flights will operate and the route itself. Instead of flying Thursdays and Sundays as Interstate Jet had, Southeast will operate Wednesdays and Saturdays. Flights also will originate in Allentown, but make a stop in Columbus, Ohio, before continuing to Las Vegas.