New low-cost carrier takes to the skies

Wednesday, June 16th 2004, 11:33 am

By: News On 6

CHANTILLY, Va. (AP) _ Independence Air, the nation's newest discount airline, welcomed its first paying customers Wednesday, launching a modest schedule of flights serving five cities out of the airline's base at Washington Dulles International Airport.

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Newark, N.J., and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., are the first cities served by the airline, with one-way fares starting at $49. New destinations will be added beginning next week, said spokesman Rick DeLisi.

To control costs, the carrier is taking reservations only through its Web site and by telephone.

Independence hopes to appeal to travelers who are unable to meet advance reservation requirements for other carriers' discount fares.

``I needed a quick flight, and it was either $400 or $70, this was an easy choice,'' said Mike Lillis, 30, of Leesburg, Va., who was bound for Chicago.

The first flights departed from gates decorated with blue and white balloons to match the planes' color scheme. A water cannon salute greeted the first outbound Bombadier CRJ planes.

While it was Independence Air's first day flying under its own brand name, the carrier operated for 15 years as Atlantic Coast Airlines, providing short-haul shuttle service for United and Delta. It plans to challenge those carriers and others with low fares and frequent service, according to Tom Moore, Independence Air's president and chief operating officer.

Discounters JetBlue, Ted, AirTran and Frontier also serve Dulles, which is about 30 miles west of Washington, while rival Southwest is a major presence at Baltimore/Washington International Airport, about 30 miles northeast of the nation's capital.

``The Washington market was one of the most expensive in the country, and people are screaming for low fares,'' said Kerry Skeen, chairman and chief executive officer of Independence. With 11 planes now in service, Skeen plans to increase that number to 87 as aircraft now used by United Express are reflagged.

While the bulk of the airline's service will be handled by smaller 50-seat aircraft, plans call the addition of 27 132-seat Airbus A319 jets by early 2006. The first West Coast flights will begin this fall, with the carrier eventually offering 700 daily flights to 50 markets.