Sept. 2, 2020

Sioux Falls travelers will be able to fly directly to Charlotte, N.C., starting in November.

American Airlines is starting nonstop service between the two destinations Nov. 4.

The seasonal route is scheduled to run until April 6, with a flight leaving at 6:30 a.m. daily and one arriving back from Charlotte Douglas International Airport at 10 p.m.

American has a hub in Charlotte.

“The early morning departure will allow for convenient connections to over 50 markets in the southeast, including 10 Caribbean/Mexican destinations, along with over 15 cities in Florida,” said Dan Letellier, executive director of the Sioux Falls Regional Airport.

“For people looking to get out of the cold this winter, this is a great opportunity to get to their favorite fun destination.”

The Charlotte flight will bring Sioux Falls to 14 destinations served directly. The latest new service was to San Diego and Nashville. Allegiant plans to return to Orlando in October, Tampa in November and Punta Gorda, Fla., in December along with service to Las Vegas and Phoenix.

“(The) only city that won’t have direct service is Atlanta on Delta, which we hope will return next year,” Letellier said.

Passenger traffic has been slowly rebounding, Letellier said. It was about 40 percent of normal for July and appears to have been the same in August.

“(We) expect September to drop back into that 30 percent of normal range,” he said, adding the “hope (is) our hunters will return via air rather than drive, but we will find that out in the next few weeks.”

Airlines are doing their part to encourage more travel, with all three major carriers serving Sioux Falls announcing this week they will be permanently dropping fees for ticket changes.