Flying isn’t nearly as much fun as it used to be. And I’m not even talking about the olden days, back when folks dressed up in their Sunday best - men in suits, ladies in dresses - to fly the friendly skies. Back when meals were served on white linen and china plates and it was luxe.
I’m talking about how just this year, and especially this summer, things have gotten a bit crazy.
A Travel Tale of Woe
Recently, we had to fly a couple of states away to visit a sick family member. It was a fairly simple trip with just one plane change in Charlotte. We’d watched the news and heard the horror stories but thought, how bad could it be?
Um, bad. Just about everything that could happen, did. Flight delays. Cancellations. Missed connections. Waiting eight hours in the Charlotte airport. It all seemed to have a domino effect and get worse as the day wore on.
2022, the year of playing catch-up
The pandemic threw a giant wrench into travel of all kinds, especially air travel. People didn’t want to be confined in a small metal tube while a highly contagious germ was raging across the planet. As a result, airlines drastically cut staff to try and stay afloat.
Cut to this year, and especially this summer, when people finally felt safe flying again, taking those big trips they’d put off for the last couple of years.
Talk about some pent-up demand. It all seemed to hit at once. And the airlines have been scrambling to keep up ever since. Many of the flight cancellations have to do with simply not having enough staff to cover all the flights.
Direct Flights are a Breeze
Many of the issues we encountered had to do with connecting flights. And here’s where the good news comes in - Charleston airport is getting more and more new direct flights all the time.
Breeze Airways is a big part of that. As I covered in this recent blog, Breeze is on a roll. The new airline, which promises to “get you there in half the time, at half the price,” picked Charleston as one of its four hubs, along with Tampa, New Orleans and Norfolk.
They’ve been adding new nonstop destinations for Charleston left and right, including San Francisco and Las Vegas. In fact, they’ve been growing so fast that Charleston has now become their main hub.
They’re at it again, adding some cool new destinations…
Los Angeles, CA
Beginning November 4th, Breeze will fly nonstop to Los Angeles (LAX) twice per week. Flights will take place on Fridays and Mondays.
Phoenix, AZ
Starting November 2nd, you can fly direct from Charleston to Phoenix, AZ (PHX) twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
BreezeThru Service
Also, they’ll be adding special “BreezeThru” service, where flights make one stop but there’s no plane change. Beginning November 2nd, they’ll be flying BreezeThru to Provo, Utah six days a week, and to Los Angeles seven days a week.
Fares on Breeze begin at just $29 one way. With these new flights, Breeze now flies to 21 different destinations from Charleston.
Direct Flights to and from Charleston International
Here’s the impressive list of all the airlines/destinations currently providing nonstop service to Charleston:
Alaskan Air
- Seattle - Sea-Tac International Airport (SEA)
Allegiant
- Cincinnati — Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
- Columbus — Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK)
- Indianapolis — Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
- Louisville — Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF)
- Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
- St. Louis — MidAmerica St. Louis Airport (BLV)
American Airlines
- Charlotte — Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
- Chicago — Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
- Dallas/Fort Worth — Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
- Philadelphia — Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
- Miami — Miami International Airport (MIA)
- Washington, D.C. — Reagan National Airport (DCA)
Avelo
- New Haven — Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN)
Breeze Airways
- Akron/Canton — Akron-Canton Airport (CAK)
- Columbus — John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH)
- Fort Myers — Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW)
- Hartford — Bradley International Airport (BDL)
- Huntsville — Huntsville International Airport (HSV)
- Long Island — Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP)
- Las Vegas — McCarran Airport (LAS)
- Louisville — Louisville International Airport (SDF)
- New Orleans —Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
- Norfolk — Norfolk International Airport (ORF)
- Orlando — Orlando International Airport (MCO)
- Palm Beach — Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
- Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
- Providence — T. F. Green Airport (PFD)
- Richmond — Richmond International Airport (RIC)
- San Francisco — San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Syracuse — Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR)
- Tampa — Tampa International Airport (TPA)
- White Plains, NY — Westchester County Airport (HPN)
Delta Airlines
- Atlanta— Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL)
- Boston— Logan International Airport (BOS)
- Detroit— Detroit Metro Airport (DTW)
- New York City — LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
- New York City — John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- Minneapolis — Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)
Frontier
- Denver— Denver International Airport (DEN)
- Philadelphia— Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
JetBlue
- Boston— Logan International Airport (BOS)
- Fort Lauderdale— Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood (FLL)
- Los Angeles— Los Angeles (LAX)
- New York City— John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- New York City — LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
Silver
- Fort Lauderdale— Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
- Orlando—Orlando International Airport (MCO)
- Tampa- Tampa International Airport (TPA)
Southwest
- Austin— Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
- Baltimore— Baltimore Washington International (BWI)
- Chicago — Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)
- Dallas— Dallas Love Field (DAL)
- Denver— Denver International Airport (DEN)
- Houston — Houston Hobby (HOU)
- Kansas City — Kansas City International Airport (MCI)
- Nashville — Nashville International Airport (BNA)
- St. Louis — St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)
Sun Country Airlines
- Minneapolis — Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)
United
- Chicago— Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
- Denver— Denver International Airport (DEN)
- Houston— Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
- Newark —Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
- Washington, D.C. — Dulles International Airport (IAD)
So hop on a direct flight to or from Charleston, and book your Isle of Palms Rental with Exclusive Properties. We still have some great properties including oceanfront rentals, luxury homes, pet-friendly accommodations, and more with September availability for a last-minute stay!
All best,
Lowcountry Lisa
your Isle of Palms vacation blogger