Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport is losing another airline, leaving Delta and U.S. Airways as its two remaining carriers.
Frontier Airlines, which provides non-stop service to Denver, will cease operations from the airport Jan. 6. It joins Allegiant Air — which stopped offering service from the airport in August — and PEOPLExpress, which suspended service and has not yet offered a resumption date as airlines that have left the airport in 2014 or announced intentions to do so.
Airport Spokeswoman Jessica Wharton said Frontier was a strong performer for the airport but that organizational changes at the airline have caused it to focus more on service between large cities, prompting it to drop service to the airport and nine other cities.
“We’re certainly disappointed,” she said. “They routinely book full. People in our area really enjoyed the service, and I think they’re going to be disappointed as well to see it go.”
Frontier director of corporate communications Todd Lehmacher said in a statement the decision to leave Newport News was “difficult.” Customers affected by the change will be contacted and offered a full refund.
The airline began service from Newport News in 2010. The airline offered service to Denver four to six times per week in the summer and about twice a week in the winter.
Following Frontier’s departure, the airport will offer non-stop service to three cities: Charlotte, Atlanta and Philadelphia.
PEOPLExpress was operating from the airport until abruptly suspending service in September. The airline moved its equipment out of the terminal earlier this month after airport officials say it did not pay fees it owed. Wharton said Monday the airport has not heard from PEOPLExpress about plans to resume service or to pay the fees.
Wharton said airport officials are “working hard” to bring in another low-cost carrier. Frontier was the last low-cost carrier at the airport. Its largest low-cost carrier in recent years was AirTran, which left Newport News in March 2012 in a move that cost the airport about 40 percent of its annual traffic.
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