United Airlines cancels service to Tallahassee

United Airlines will no longer fly to the capital after Oct. 1, according to a Facebook post by Tallahassee International Airport. 

In a March 2019 Air Service Update of Tallahassee's airport, Houston ranked No. 15 out of the airport's top 25 markets.

The air travel snapshot showed an average of 13 passengers each way each day between Houston and Tallahassee with an average fare of $244, which does not include passengers connecting to other markets at the IAH airport. 

The news comes after the Chicago-based airline expanded service here in November with direct flights to Houston through SkyWest, an affiliated carrier of United Airlines.

"While the airline industry has been impacted globally by the pandemic, we continue to see the demand for air travel rebound locally and remain focused on expanding service options for our customers," the post said. 

David Pollard, the airport’s aviation director, said the city spent years recruiting United Airlines to serve Tallahassee’s market.

Over the weekend, the airline shared its plans to discontinue service with the city and up to a dozen impacted employees. Terms of the discontinued service were finalized Monday.

Pollard said United will still operate with a codeshare agreement with Silver Airways, adding “there is a relationship there.”

“Sometimes people may be flying on a route, and they’ll see the United brand,” he said. “That will continue … What we are primarily talking about here is the non-stop flight to Houston.

We had hoped for a better outcome with issues associated with the pandemic. But, shortly after they started service, some issues continued from December to January and the early part of the year.”

Pollard said the city maintains a “great relationship” with United and SkyWest, and he’ll continue to push for additional service when and where possible.

“We’re excited about the future out here at the airport," he continued. "We’ve got many, many things in motion, and we’re going to continue to press ahead and provide those opportunities for our travelers."

Compared to last year’s cratering travel numbers, Tallahassee’s airport is showing an uptick in air travel.

The airport lost 95.7% of passenger traffic in April 2020 compared to the previous year as a result of the global shutdown prompted by COVID-19. Pollard said: That’s when we hit rock bottom.

Reports from the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality show passenger travel in Tallahassee was 161,755 for second quarter 2021 – a significant increase compared to 29,116 total passengers in second quarter 2020. All of last year saw a total of 378,000 total passengers compared to 865,000 total passengers in 2019.

Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey said he's disappointed to learn of United's decision. 

“We know this was a strong route for United and their decision is a result of a global rebalancing in the airline industry due to the pandemic," Dailey said. "I am confident in the fundamental strength of the Tallahassee International Airport. We are quickly closing in on pre-pandemic levels of passenger travel and we are well on our way to meeting our five year strategic plan goal of a million passengers a year.”

City Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox also said she’s saddened to see United Airlines leave the Tallahassee market but understands the circumstances driving the company’s decision.

“They’ve made the best business decision they could make for themselves,” Williams-Cox said. “I’m confident the Tallahassee International Airport will attract others as we begin to open up more for our flights in and out of Tallahassee."

Contact TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com or follow @TaMarynWaters on Twitter. 

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