SkyValue to fly out of Gary year-round

GARY | Start-up airline SkyValue will expand its winter schedule out of Gary/Chicago International Airport to year-round due to strong ticket sales on its initial flights.

"We asked the community to step up and show us their support for SkyValue and Gary/Chicago Airport as the alternative to overcrowded Midway and O'Hare, and they have, by flying with us," SkyValue CEO Darrell Richardson said Thursday.

Some flights to Orlando, Fla., and Mesa, Ariz., sold out over the holidays, said SkyValue Senior Vice President Gabrielle Griswold. Some St. Petersburg and Las Vegas flights also have operated at or near capacity.

SkyValue started flying out of Gary three weeks ago as a scheduled, seasonal carrier and initially announced it planned to fly through April 22. It flies a 174-seat Boeing 737-800 on all routes.

Airport officials greeted the news with open arms, as they continue to pitch the airport as a passenger-friendly alternative to Midway and O'Hare airports in Chicago.

"As I've always said, SkyValue will set the foundation for where the Gary airport will go in the future," airport director Chris Curry said Thursday. "Other airlines can't help but notice this success."

In the future, the Gary airport would like to attract airlines flying regional jets to major hub airports such as Atlanta or Detroit, Curry said.

Only SkyValue's Fort Lauderdale destination proved a disappointment, and that service ended Wednesday, as previously announced by the airline.

Richardson also said Thursday additional routes will be announced shortly.

"We are 100 percent committed to this community and growing the Gary/Chicago Airport as our hub of operations," Richardson said.

SkyValue officials have previously said they are in negotiations with airports in the Los Angeles area to fly round-trip between there and Mesa. Local officials in Mesa have been urging SkyValue CEO Darrell Richardson to start flights from their city to Los Angeles.

If the deal goes through, passengers from Gary could get to Los Angeles with only a short stopover in Mesa.

The Los Angeles flights would most likely land at the city of Long Beach Airport, which is served by four airlines, or at Bob Hope Airport, in Burbank. But SkyValue officials have not indicated which airport they want to fly into, with several available in the area.

SkyValue USA is based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Its parent company is C-First ClassCorp.

SkyValue features low fares starting at $79, making it competitive with Southwest Airlines and other low-cost carriers flying out of Chicago's two airports.

Curry said Florida schedules for SkyValue could see some changes for January and February, which are typically slow months for airlines. The St. Petersburg airport is only one hour from Orlando's, so that schedule could be consolidated, he said. But no decision has been made yet.

SkyValue flies round-trip two times a week to each of its destinations, except for Orlando, which has three flights.