Airline with local presence enters secondary markets

By Richard N. Velotta

Monday, Oct. 11, 2010 | 2:24 p.m.

A Suwanee, Ga., airline with a major presence in Southern Nevada’s air tour industry will begin offering low-fare flights between Atlanta and Louisville, Ky., in December, the first step toward growing the company’s business plan of providing scheduled service in underserved secondary markets.

Vision Airlines, which started offering air tours of the Grand Canyon in 1994 from North Las Vegas Airport, will offer twice-daily round-trip flights between Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Louisville International Airport beginning Dec. 13.

Vision will compete in the market with Delta Air Lines.

Over the past 16 years, Vision expanded its fleet to include Boeing 767 wide-bodied jets, twin-engine Boeing 737s and Dornier 328 and 228 turboprop aircraft.

The company, which has offices in suburban Atlanta, Las Vegas, Louisville and Miami, next plans to exploit business and leisure markets with flights to Florida. The company’s charter business has a client list of U.S. presidential candidates, heads of state, celebrities, Fortune 1000 companies and popular resorts.

In Southern Nevada, Vision offers tour packages and has a motor coach subsidiary with tours of several tourist attractions throughout the Southwest.

“Unlike other start-ups, Vision Airlines has been in business for 16 years,” said Bryan Glazer, president of JetPlane PR/World Satellite Television News, a spokesman for Vision. “It has the experience and the economic resources to effectively compete while it builds its brand and revs-up its start-up routes.”