Last November when Elite Airways announced their intentions to start service in 2013 I suggested that the choices they made in terms of their hub and initial destination were probably suspect. It seems that they agreed on those aspects, shifting a lot of the details around. But, somewhat surprisingly, they are actually still planning on launching service. The latest version of the story has them in business starting in mid-July, with Baton Rouge, LA as their hub.
This time around there are no destinations yet announced and no indication of when seats will go on sale. There is a suggestion that they’ll upgrade their fleet to include some 737s, in addition to the CRJ-200s they currently operate. That’s a potential win for passengers, though it isn’t clear if they’re going for new planes or picking some old ones up second hand. Either way, just about anything is better than flying on the CR2 so I suppose it doesn’t matter too much.
Without a hint of destinations it is hard to guess at the chances for success of the operation. Reading the comments on the story (presumably from locals) it seems that Cancun; San Antonio; Washington, DC and Newark are being requested. I’m betting against all of those being included. Actually, Cancun might have the best chance of success.
Anyways, I suppose I’ll have to find my way to Baton Rouge at some point later this summer to give Elite Airways a try. Assuming they actually do get off the ground, of course.
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What is so bad about the crj 200? I fly them frequently out of SCE and love them!
This isn’t related to ‘New Frontier’ is it? The one that wanted a hub in MSY but couldn’t get the city to sign off on it despite some major state subsidies.
The CR2 is arguably the least comfortable commmercial passenger jet flying today. The windows are very low compared to the seats and it is not really wide enough to handle the 4-across cabin seating. Combine with the smallest overhead bins (though some props have no bins) and it really is an unfortunate passenger experience.
It is better than walking, I suuppose, but really not a comfortable plane.
Dumb, dumb, dumb. Fools and their money….
NO more MLB?
It seems that MLB is no longer involved (other than that’s where Elite has their southern operations base). No word on if BTR put money on the table to make this happen or if it is something else, but – at least for now – BTR is the new hub.