VERO BEACH —Elite Airways will operate a year-round passenger service between Vero Beach and Newark Liberty Airport, and plans to add additional destinations if demand proves as strong as airline President John Pearsall expects.
“We have seen a response in Vero Beach that we have never seen anyplace else,” Pearsall told a crowd of more than 150 that turned out for an 8:30 a.m. press conference this morning. He mentioned Chicago and Atlanta as possible future destinations and said people began booking flights from Vero to the New York City area on the company website even before the new flights were officially announced today.
Bi-weekly flights will begin Dec. 10, with Elite’s sleek, leather-seated 50- and 70-seat Bombardier jets departing each Thursday and Sunday morning and returning around 4 p.m. on Thursday and Sunday afternoons. Fares for the 3-hour flights start at $149 each way, and there is no charge for carry-on’s or the first checked piece of luggage.
Pearsall praised Vero Beach Airport Director Eric Menger for his role in bringing the first-ever regularly scheduled passenger jet service to Vero Beach, saying Menger pursued Elite to launch a service here and “moved heaven and Earth” with federal authorities to get the flights up and running in time for this year’s busy winter season.
“We are tremendously excited about this,” Menger said. “It is estimated that Vero will receive a positive economic benefit of $1.8 million from Elite Airways’ operation of non-stop jet service to Newark.”
County commissioners Tim Zorc and Wesley Davis were on hand for the announcement, along with Vero Beach Mayor Dick Winger and Vice-Mayor Jay Kramer, business leaders and members of the public. Zorc was booking a roundtrip fare on his phone while the press conference was still going on.
“I am so stoked about this,” said Richard Boga, a real estate agent with Premier Estate Properties. “My sister and brother-in-law live in Manhattan, so for me to be able to leave here and fly to Newark direct and then take the train to the city – 40 minutes – is a game changer.”
