Can budget-friendly airlines help Columbia compete with bigger airports?

The first flight from Spirit Airlines’ new direct routes to Florida and Newark took off from Columbia Metropolitan Airport on Thursday.

For airport officials, the budget airline’s new flights are an important step towards expanding the airport’s regional footprint and preventing potential customers from heading to Charlotte. And for the surrounding towns, a growing airport could mean more tourists and more investment.

The June 5 flight took to the skies during a time of expansion for the airport.

Less than a month before Spirit Airlines’ first flight out of Columbia, another budget airline, Allegiant Air, held its inaugural flight to Orlando. Between the two of them, the new budget-friendly carriers offer direct service to three destinations with some overlapping options.

The airport is expanding its number of security lanes from two to four, and it’s seeking a developer to add a new hotel within walking distance of the terminal. Last year, it reported seeing more passengers than it ever has, exceeding 1.3 million and besting the previous record set before COVID in 2019.

Kim Crafton, the airport’s vice president of marketing and air service development, said the airport is seeking to diversify its offerings and appeal to every kind of customer, and the addition of two low-cost airlines will improve its outreach to budget-conscious travelers.

“If there’s a traveler that is loyal just to Delta, that’s wonderful. We want to have that option open to them,” Crafton said. “But we also want to have the options for people who say, ‘I’d love to travel but I can’t spend certain rates.’”

A major hurdle to the airport’s growth is its proximity to Charlotte International Airport, Crafton said. According to her, Columbia’s airport leaks around 40% of customers from the area it would hope to draw from to the large city located roughly an hour and a half up the road. By securing routes from Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air and increasing service from current carriers, the airport can retain some of those customers.

“Hopefully one of these days that 40% will be 4% and people will see that they can get anywhere that they need to go from Columbia Metropolitan Airport,” Crafton said.

The recent additions could also improve prices across the board, said Gregg Hornsby, CFO and interim CEO of Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

“There’ll be competition,” Hornsby said. “There should be… a lowering impact on airfare.”

And for local communities, Hornsby believes the new developments could mean an increase in employment for food and retail workers, he said.

In addition to patronizing business in and around Columbia, some visitors coming into the area on the new budget-friendly flights may choose to stay long-term, said Anton Gunn, the airport’s commission chair.

One community that sits right near the airport, located roughly eight miles from downtown Columbia is the city of West Columbia.

In a statement, Anna Huffman, the city’s director of public relations and business development, said a growing airport will benefit West Columbia by increasing demand for lodging, dining and mixed-use development. The city’s proximity to the airport puts the city in a good position for travelers to find accommodations and for developers to find airport-adjacent commercial space, she added.

Overall, the addition of new carriers and routes can signal to investors and developers that there is value to be found in the area, the statement read.

“As CAE grows, so does the ability to attract new businesses, create jobs, and further position West Columbia as a connected, vibrant gateway to the Midlands,” the statement read.

The new budget routes offer both a draw for tourists and a way for travel to be more accessible for residents, said Hunter Sox, a city councilman serving Cayce, another city that sits near the airport.

The roads around the airport have the space to accommodate increases in traffic but should have better maintenance to support heavier traffic, he added.

This story was originally published June 6, 2025 at 5:00 AM.