At an event last week marking the debut of Frontier Airlines service the story was told about an earlier attempt at airline service from New Castle Airport
For some reason, a portable sign along U.S. Route 13 warned of congestion around the field that is also known as Wilmington/Philadelphia Airport.
Traffic was never a problem and the airline exited the market. The only portable sign at the airport on Monday was touting new service by Frontier.
While congestion is not expected to be an issue, the River and Bay Authority has dealt with another concern – parking.
The most visible lot is small and could be quickly filled by passengers who will board a 168-seat Airbus jet. Previous attempts at airline service featured smaller aircraft. Service kicked off Monday at 7:30 a.m. with a flight to Chicago-Midway.
The River and Bay Authority, according to a recent release, has added two other lots. The front lot near Route 13 contains more than 200 parking spots. Also constructed was a rear lot behind the terminal that has a parking capacity of 300 vehicles.
The third lot is located at the former site of the Air Transport Command restaurant and has space for more than 150 vehicles. So far, the other two lots have been able to handle parking demand.
The parking lots are well-lit and have pedestrian walkways. The airport will also have a drop off area in front of the terminal. Service is also available from taxis, a Delaware Express shuttle van service and DART First State transit, the DRBA noted.
Parking initially will be free and many passengers will have to walk only 100 yards when boarding flights. A modest charge is likely at some point.
Philadelphia International Airport charges $20 a day for ramps near terminals. That gives Frontier a little room to bump up the prices of flights to profitable levels
“The Wilmington Airport is all about convenience. It is in a perfect location between Philly and Baltimore that offers customers the option to forego the hassles of a big city airport”, says airport manger Stephen Williams. “We want to be the airport of choice for people in Delaware, South Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland who seek both low fares and a convenient airport experience”.
Frontier will operate 10 daily flights a week to Midway, Houston, Denver, Orlando, Tampa and beginning in mid-November Fort Myers.
The flights will primarily target the leisure travel market and have introductory fares as low as $50.
Frontier believes a combination of lower fares and low operating costs will allow service from New Castle to be an attractive option. It has already seen success with a similar strategy at an airport near Trenton, N.J., which now serves 10 cities.
