This according to a recent article in TCPalm newspaper.
VERO BEACH — Elite Airways is offering flights for a New England holiday beginning next month, with the potential for the route to become a seasonal destination.
Seven flights will leave Vero Beach Regional Airport for New Bedford, Massachusetts, on Dec. 23 and 30 and Jan. 1.
Most southbound flights leave New Bedford at 1:45 p.m., arriving in Vero Beach at 4:30 p.m., except for Dec. 16 when the return is at 10 a.m. Northbound flights leave Vero Beach at 10 a.m. and get to New Bedford at 12:45 p.m.
“New Bedford is one (destination) that Elite has been talking about for quite some time,” said Elite spokeswoman Rebecca Ayers. “There are so many people who go to the Cape Cod area for the summer.”
New Bedford is a small, regional airport about 55 miles from Boston and 31 miles from Providence, Rhode Island. This is the first time Elite has offered a Vero Beach route to Massachusetts. The flights fit into Elite’s plan to bring service to smaller, under-served regional markets such as New Bedford, Ayers said.
If the flights do well, she said, the route might be reinstated at other times during the year.
Maine-based Elite returned commercial flights to Vero Beach in December 2015 after almost 20 years, with direct flights to Newark. During the holidays, Elite offers daily service to Newark. The airline previously has offered flights from Vero Beach to Asheville, North Carolina, and Portland, Maine.
Beginning Dec. 21, Elite Airways is adding twice-weekly flights to White Plains, New York, from Vero Beach. Most of those flights are sold out, Ayers said.
This year, the airline expanded its fleet to 17 aircraft.
“Vero Beach continues to be a top performer,” Elite CEO John Pearsall said in a statement. “As we head into one of the most stressful times for travel, Elite Airways offers much-needed relief with convenient nonstop flights out of smaller regional airports. This allows passengers to avoid traffic jams, crowds and long lines, and enjoy more quality time with friends and family during the holidays.”
