American Airlines to add new flights from State College to Charlotte. What to know

Good news for spring breakers — State College’s University Park Airport announced a new nonstop flight to Charlotte.

Flights will run Saturdays only in March and April to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, according to a Friday press release. March flights are available to book now and April flights will be available starting Jan. 7.

The additional flights come after a 2021 campaign by the Centre County government to attract American Airlines to operate flights from University Park Airport to Charlotte. The county used $250,000 in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to create an incentive package for the airline to add the connecting flight to Charlotte for a minimum of 12 flights a week, and other municipalities also joined in the effort.

While Friday’s announcement is more limited, additional service may be possible in the future, according to Jim Meyer, executive director of the Centre County Airport Authority.

“This flight will only operate seasonally for the peak spring break/Easter season, but depending on how the demand is for the flight, it could be used as a building block for additional service in the future,” he said in the release.

Centre County Commissioner Michael Pipe said the spring flights are to test demand for a year-round service. Charlotte is one of American Airlines’ largest hubs and can help open many national and international destinations for Centre County residents.

Pipe hopes that American Airlines will see the demand for flight service to Charlotte and the possibilities for future services.

“This will really be a step to prove that this would be a really great investment on their part,” Pipe said.

The announcement comes a month after Delta announced it would be adding nonstop flights to LaGuardia Airport in New York and end service to Detroit.