VIA Sees Resurgence In New Flights & Bookings  

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VIA Sees Resurgence In New Flights & Bookings  

Viva Aerobus jet has recently started direct Harlingen-Monterrey flights with one-stop connections to Cancun, Guadalajara and Mexico City. (Courtesy)
Viva Aerobus jet has recently started direct Harlingen-Monterrey flights with one-stop connections to Cancun, Guadalajara and Mexico City. (Courtesy)

Valley International Airport is experiencing its best growth numbers since 2008 as longstanding airlines return daily flights and new international flights to Mexico have been established.

Marv Easterly, VIA’s director of aviation, provided that overview recently during a commercial and investment tour hosted by the Harlingen Economic Development Corporation and the Rio Grande Valley Partnership. The Harlingen-based regional airport has gotten through the worst of the cutbacks brought on by the plunge in air travel during 2020 and 2021.

Southwest Airlines has recently resumed direct Harlingen-to-Austin flights after suspending them in 2020. (Courtesy)
Southwest Airlines has recently resumed direct Harlingen-to-Austin flights after suspending them in 2020. (Courtesy)

Headlining the boost in flights are two daily non-stop flights from Harlingen to Austin. The flights to the state’s capital were staples for years at VIA before Southwest Airlines eliminated those offerings in 2020. The return of the Austin flights is an indication of the resurgence of air travel in general and there have been other additions as well at VIA, Easterly said.

New Flights, Larger Pull

He pointed to new Viva Aerobus flights, with direct flights to Monterrey as one-stop gateways to Cancun, Guadalajara and Mexico City. Adding to the mix are nonstop Frontier flights from VIA to Las Vegas, Denver and Orlando. The Frontier flights to those destinations are twice weekly per city. Sun Country Airlines offers seasonal nonstop Harlingen-Minneapolis flights through May 2022. Sun Country will also begin offering twice-a-week summer nonstop flights from Harlingen to Cancun. Those seasonal flights will begin on June 1.

“We’ve seen unbelievable growth,” Easterly said at the virtual tour which took place on the Texas State Technical College campus. “We’re seeing bookings moving in the right direction.”

The Harlingen airport has long held a major aviation advantage in the Valley due to its exclusivity with Southwest Airlines and the volume of flights it offers daily to Houston and Dallas. American Airlines and United Airlines also fly out of VIA daily to Dallas and Houston, respectively, with American recently adding a weekly nonstop flight to Chicago.

Recent data derived from cell phone activity shows VIA has the largest “catch area” among the three major Valley airports, Easterly said. Airports in Brownsville and McAllen tend to draw their customer base from their home cities and immediate surrounding communities. VIA has a broader regional pull, he said.

“Only VIA serves the whole region,” Easterly said.

Sun Country Airlines offers seasonal flights to Minneapolis and will soon offer summer direct flights from Harlingen to Cancun. (Courtesy)
Sun Country Airlines offers seasonal flights to Minneapolis and will soon offer summer direct flights from Harlingen to Cancun. (Courtesy)

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