News & Media

Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) has started a multi-phased effort to revamp its food, beverage, and retail operations across the airport, with an estimated completion date for all concepts slated for the winter of 2024.

“Updating our food, beverage and retail locations throughout the airport has been a top priority for CAE,” said Mike Gula, CAE’s president and CEO. “We want to ensure our valued passengers not only have an easy travel experience while at CAE, but one that includes offerings from national brands, new and healthy dining options and expanded retail items that are quick and convenient.”

As part of the updates, Carolina Concessions, LLC, CAE’s contracted food and beverage concessionaire, recently opened Jimmy John’s and Samuel Adams Brewhouse Columbia in the former Carolina Subs and Riverbanks Bar & Grill locations.

Later this month, the current Sunrise Café will be converted into a Dunkin’® – serving the chain’s signature doughnuts, coffee and breakfast sandwiches.

The Friendly Caterer To-Go – a concept based on Carolina Concessions’ sister catering business The Friendly Caterer that specializes in to-go family meals – will be added in the main lobby pre security.

“We are so excited to be a part of the new growth at CAE,” said Sandra Sims, owner and operator of CAE’s food and beverage concessionaire, Carolina Concessions, LLC. “Our team is on board to help to make CAE’s travelers’ experience an easy and enjoyable one. We hope by bringing in national brands, travelers will find food options that will satisfy their taste buds. We have always put the quality of our food and service as the top focus for our company, and we will continue to do so with these new additions.”

Carolina Concessions, LLC also plans to roll out an in-terminal kiosks system and mobile app, allowing travelers the opportunity to pre-order menu items before going through security and pick-up on the way to their gates.

Sandra and Herbert Sims have been in the food industry for nearly 30 years and have been the primary food and beverage concessionaire at CAE for the last 16 years.

Paradies Lagardère, CAE’s contracted retail provider, will transform the current retail offerings, transitioning the Capital Marketplace to Vista Trading offering grab-n-go snacks and travel essentials. The Columbia Travelmart will become Explore Columbia and include a local marketplace concept with products from Midland’s area vendors. The Three Rivers Collection will be in the main lobby pre security and include a hybrid of travel essentials and branded “shop in shops” with Avanti Markets vending machines in the former PGA Tour Shops portion of the store.

“We are excited to unveil our new retail concepts at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport as each will further elevate the shopping options for travelers,” said Gregg Paradies, President and CEO of Paradies Lagardère. “We greatly appreciate our long-standing partnership with the airport and are excited to contribute to these new concessions program with locally influenced stores and products that will enhance the overall experience at CAE.”

“Airports continuously update and modernize their retail and dining offerings to stay current with passenger expectations,” said Kim J. Crafton, CAE’s vice president of marketing and air service development. “CAE is excited to move forward with this redevelopment and knows these new brands and concepts will appeal to today’s travelers.”

For more information about the updates taking place at CAE and for the latest news on when various locations have completed construction, please visit www.FlyCAE.com.

About Paradies Lagardère:
Paradies Lagardère is a leading airport travel retailer and restaurateur in North America, operating more than 700 stores and restaurants in 92 airports. Specializing in three airport concessions areas – Travel Essentials, Specialty Retail and Dining with expertise in international, national and local brands – Paradies Lagardère’s commitment to exceptional customer service, superior design and award-winning retail and restaurant operations has earned the company numerous accolades, including Best Airport Retailer for 26 consecutive years and Best Brand Restaurateur by Airport Experience News. For more information, please visit paradieslagardere.com.

About Carolina Concessions:
After working and training with Concessions International for five years, Herbert and Sandra Sims founded Carolina Concession, LLC in November of 2012. From there, the Columbia-based company began work to create various food and beverage concepts after being named the primary food and beverage concessionaire at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. These concepts included Sky Café and Bar, Riverbanks Bar and Grill, Sunrise Café, Carolina Subs and the Bar-B-Que Pitt. In the summer of 2023, Carolina Concessions, LLC opened Samuel Adams Columbia Brewhouse (replacing Riverbanks Bar and Grill), as well as Jimmy John’s (replacing Carolina Subs). Dunkin’® and the new concept, The Friendly Carter To-Go, based off the company’s primary catering company, are slated to open in October of 2023.

Carolina Concession, LLC also serves as the food and beverage concessionaire at Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport, operating both a Riverbanks Bar & Grill and Sunrise Café that will soon become a Dunkin’ ® and Samuel Adams Jackson Brewhouse.

The Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) has partnered with University of South Carolina Athletics Department, to make the airport “The Official Airport of the Gamecocks.” The partnership, made through the university’s multimedia rightsholder LEARFIELD’s Gamecock Sports Properties, will be in place for the next three years.

“We are proud to call the Columbia Metropolitan Airport the Official Airport of the Gamecocks,” said Ray Tanner, University of South Carolina Athletics Director. “We appreciate their support as fans make their way to our campus for Gamecock sporting events.”

With state-of-the-art technology throughout the parking garage and terminal, CAE’s number one priority is making air travel as quick and efficient as possible for its passengers. Served by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, CAE gets travelers from around the world to Gamecock Country…with ease. Now offering more than 25 daily flights to 10 major airports in nine cities, getting to Columbia through CAE is now even easier.

“We couldn’t be more excited to work with Ray Tanner and the teams at the University of South Carolina,” said Mike Gula, president and CEO of CAE. “Gamecock Athletics and the entire university are a huge tourism driver in the Midlands, and we look forward to continuing to serve fans from all over the country as they make their way to Columbia for game day.”

About South Carolina Athletics

The University of South Carolina (USC), located in the capital city of Columbia, was established in 1801 and is a full-service, state-supported research university that includes the 358-acre Columbia campus and seven regional campuses with a total full-time student body population of more than 46,000 and 2,100 full-time faculty members. USC’s athletic teams have been known as the Gamecocks for more than 100 years.  More than 530 student-athletes participate in one of USC’s 21 intercollegiate athletic programs, which includes nine men’s and 12 women’s sports.  Since 2015-16, South Carolina’s athletics department has averaged a Top 30 finish in the Learfield Directors’ Cup All-Sports Standings, measuring an athletics department’s overall success.  For more information, visit www.GamecocksOnline.com or connect with USC at www.facebook.com/GamecocksOnline or www.twitter.com/GamecocksOnline.

ABOUT LEARFIELD

LEARFIELD is the media and technology company powering intercollegiate athletics. The company unlocks the value of college sports for brands and fans through an omnichannel platform with innovative content and commerce solutions. LEARFIELD services include trademark licensing and branding; collegiate sports properties’ multimedia sponsorship management; NIL solutions; publishing, audio, digital and social media; data analytics and insights; ticketing software; and ticket sales, premium seating, and fundraising services; campus-wide business and sponsorship development. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for NACDA’s acclaimed LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup, recognizing athletic departments across all divisions.

Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE hereafter) celebrated American Airlines this morning as they began brand new daily service from Columbia to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD).

“With the addition of this nonstop service at CAE, we now have seven destinations on American Airlines to offer passengers this summer,” said Mike Gula, President/CEO at CAE.

This inaugural flight for American Airlines is scheduled to depart CAE at 7:56 a.m. and arrive at ORD at 9:15 a.m. The aircraft used for this daily service is a CRJ-200, a 50-seat regional jet.

“American Airlines is delighted to start brand new nonstop service between Columbia Metropolitan Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport,” said Philippe Puech, American Airlines Director of Short-Haul Network Planning. “With seven destinations from CAE this summer, American is excited to offer customers more ways to experience all the Palmetto State has to offer while providing local residents more access to American’s global network.”

Of the three carriers at CAE, American Airlines offers the most nonstop flights – having also just added daily service to New York City and seasonal service to Miami earlier this summer.

“This summer is projected to be the busiest summer in history for travel, nationwide, and the best part of that for CAE is that we are on-track this year to get back to our 2019 passenger numbers. This new flight to Chicago is going to help us do that,” continued Gula.

To celebrate this new service, CAE had a large red, white, and blue balloon display at the gate and gave out Chicago-themed cookies and CAE sunglasses to all the passengers as they boarded the flight.

“With Chicago being voted Best Big City in the U.S. for several years in a row, we are so excited to offer our passengers an additional airline carrier to get them from Columbia to The Windy City” said Samantha Kingsmore, Marketing Manager at CAE.

Flights from CAE to ORD can be booked on the American Airlines website. For more information about this flight and the other nonstop destinations available at CAE, please visit www.flycae.com.

American Airlines has restarted its seasonal, nonstop service from the Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) to Miami International Airport (MIA) with its first operation taking off this past weekend.

“We are excited to be able to offer a nonstop option to the beautiful beaches of Miami, Florida,” said Mike Gula, Executive Director of CAE. “This city is a destination on its own but can also serve as a gateway to international destinations like Barbados, Costa Rica, or St. Lucia.” 

While the flight is subject to adjusted schedule changes throughout the summer, the service will begin by operating on Saturdays, departing from CAE at 6 a.m. and arriving at MIA at 7:49 a.m. The remainder of the summer the schedule varies, with weekly Saturday service through July 1^st and then increase to six flights a week through August 15 and then Saturday weekly flights resume through September 2^nd. 

The aircraft type slated to be used for this route is an E175, a 76 seat configuration with both business and economy classes.

“With American Airlines adding additional dates to their network for this service shows the demand for this route within the Columbia market,” said Gula. “While currently only offered as seasonal service, we hope the community continues to book this flight and American Airlines sees value in adding this service as a year-round flight option.”

To celebrate the return of this service, CAE gave out sunscreen and sunglasses to every passenger as a “thank you” for supporting their hometown airport by traveling on the first returned flight to MIA.

With the unofficial start of summer kicking off this Memorial Day weekend, Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) wants to make sure its passengers are travel ready! Over the last few months, CAE has seen a significant rise in passenger traffic, and hopes by sharing some important and useful summer air travel tips it will make traveling by plane as easy as possible.

“Between January and April of this year CAE welcomed over 335,000 passengers through the airport. This is an increase of roughly 33,000 passengers over this same timeframe last year,” said Kim J. Crafton, Director of Marketing & Air Service Development. “Month over month we are seeing these numbers increase and as we approach holiday weekends like this weekend, we know this airport will be filled with passengers heading out to their summer vacations.”

Arriving early is a longstanding air travel tip, but no truer than ever are those words right now at CAE.

With an average of 10 flights departing from CAE between 5:20 a.m. and 7 a.m., getting to the airport, parked, baggage checked in and through security could take longer than expected.

AAA projects 42.3 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles or more from home this Memorial Day Weekend, a 7% increase over 2022. “This is expected to be the third busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000, when AAA started tracking holiday travel,” said Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel. “More Americans are planning trips and booking them earlier, despite inflation. This summer travel season could be one for the record books, especially at airports.”  (Source: www.newsroom.aaa.com)

To ensure passengers’ next air travel experience through CAE is a smooth one, below are some air travel tips to remember before boarding that next flight:

• Arrive early:
  • CAE suggests all passengers arrive at least two hours early – especially if a passenger is departing on an early morning flight. CAE has a number of morning flights and consistently sees long lines at the security checkpoint. As a reminder, CAE is open 24 hours a day and the TSA security checkpoint opens
• Checking a bag?! Get here early:
  • On average, most airlines are not able to check bags into their checked baggage systems for a flight 45 minutes out from departure.
     
• Pre-book parking:
  • Heading out on a longer trip? Pre-book parking and save on the daily rate. Pre-booked parking is available on CAE’s website at www.flycae.com. If valeting is preferred, CAE’s valet parking option is now back open and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and costs $25 per day.

• Check your Carry-On Bags:
  • There are a number of items not permitted in carry-on bags – most importantly firearms. Be sure to check carry-on bags prior to getting in the security line. If anything is found that is not permitted, it will be confiscated, charges may be filed and should there be a firearm found, the authorities will be called.
     
• Know Your Flight Status:
  • Be sure to download airline carrier’s mobile apps and turn on notification to ensure any and all information about a flight is seen. Many times, passengers are also able to communicate and connect with their airline’s customer service teams directly through the app.

• Pack Your Patience:
  • Summer travel has historically been a heavy travel season. Having patience and understanding is the name of the game in ensuring a safe and easy travel experience.
• Follow CAE on social media for travel notices:
  • As needed,CAE utilizes social media to share messages and information regarding travel related matters that may impact a large number of passengers. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn to keep up to date with air travel news from CAE.

“CAE’s main priority has always been its valued passengers,” said Crafton. “ We look forward to helping this community get where they are going, and back, with ease.”

The Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) hosted an educational in-person and webinar session for attendees to learn the details of what a foreign-trade zone is, see areas of potential business gains when operating within these zones and hear why doing business within FTZ 127 makes sense.

“Breaking down the benefits of FTZ 127 starts with understanding what a FTZ is,” says Lindsay Copelan, Properties Manager for CAE. “A foreign-trade zone is a designated location in the United States where companies can use special customs procedures that help encourage activity and level the playing field with foreign competitors.”

This stimulation of international trade creates jobs and investments within the United States rather than abroad.

Serving as the grantee for FTZ 127, CAE oversees this territory and its operational dealings. Centrally located in the state, FTZ 127 can provide a flexible, streamlined process to get into the zone.

Organized under the Alternative Site Framework program, this allows businesses to obtain FTZ designation and activation anywhere within the 16 county region. The 16 counties include Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Calhoun, Clarendon, Edgefield Fairfield, Kershaw, Lee, Lexington, McCormack, Newberry, Richland, Saluda and Sumter.

Some of the business benefits of working within FTZ 127 include:

• FTZ designation will allow a business to operate warehouses as a means to defer customs duties, reduce operating costs, improve supply chain velocity and manage security at distribution facilities.
• Users that conduct production/manufacturing activity can defer, reduce or eliminate payment of some duties and taxes on goods manufacturer or processed within the FTZ.
• Businesses located at any fixed site in the 16 counties can become part of the FTZ program.
• Businesses can be approved for FTZ designation by the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones Board and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in 30 – 45 days, and then can pursue FTZ activation with CBP.

As part of the webinar and education session, CAE had Managing Director of Rockefeller Group Foreign-Trade Zone Services, Rebecca Williams, lead the conversation. Williams, who has over 20 years of experience with the implementation and integration of FTZ operations, spoke to the group on every aspect of FTZs.

“The U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones is a long-standing import/export tool available to the U.S. businesses involved in international trade,” said Williams. “The ability to obtain Customer duty and logistics/administrative savings in today’s very competitive global trading environment represents a critical business and economic development incentive for the Midlands region. FTZ 127 appears poised for great growth and activity.”

For more information about FTZ 127 and working with CAE, please visit www.flycae.com.

Today the Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) celebrated the return of nonstop service on American Airlines from Columbia, S.C. to New York City/LaGuardia.

“The return of this nonstop service is the last route needed to reestablish CAE’s nonstop destination roster to its pre-pandemic status,” said Director of Marketing and Air Service Development, Kim J. Crafton. “We are thrilled to have such a strong airline partner in American Airlines and appreciate their robust presence in our market.”

The inaugural flight departed today from CAE at 4:40 p.m. and landed at LGA at 6:40 p.m. The return of this service and proposed afternoon schedule provides yet another, afternoon, flight option for passengers heading to New York City from CAE. (Currently, there is a nonstop flight to LGA on Delta Air Lines that leaves daily from CAE at 6 a.m.).

The aircraft type used for this route is an E175, with roughly 65 – 76 seats configured into business and economy classes.

“The return of this American Airlines service shows that this community continues to consider and choose CAE to fly out of when making their air travel plans,” said Executive Director of CAE, Mike Gula. “We are thankful for the ongoing support and appreciate each and every person that sees the value in flying local.”

On Monday, May 15^th, the Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE hereafter) will be restarting its valet parking operations. The service, offline since 2020, will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and cost $25 per day.

“Valet parking is a parking option our passengers have said they would like brought back,” said Mike Gula, Executive Director of CAE. “Restarting this service has been a priority for the team and we are excited to be able to include this additional on-site parking solution as an option for our passengers and partner with a great local company like Southern Valet in the process.”

After a public bidding process, local valet and transportation provider Southern Valet, a company with 15 years of experience, headquarters in Columbia and offices in Greenville and Charleston, won the contract to operate valet parking services at CAE.

“Our goal is to make valet parking at CAE as easy as flying out of CAE,” said Sean Potter, Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Southern Valet. “Being a local company with our headquarters just down the road, we feel that taking the wheel on the valet operation will be a perfect fit for everyone and are excited for the opportunity. My family loves flying out of CAE as it makes flying stress-free and fun. We always look forward to our next adventure that starts with CAE.”

The valet booth is located across from the main entrance of the terminal on the left. As part of the relaunch, the booth received a noticeable upfit to the exterior that mirrors CAE’s overall brand and esthetic.

In addition to valet parking, CAE also offers its passengers the following parking options:

• For those frequent flyers, another parking option is CAE’s Premier Parking. This program allows passengers access to a private, key-card access lot, located on the lower level just outside of baggage claim. This lot is a short walk to the main terminal and is easy to exit upon return. There is no limit to the number of times this lot can be accessed and is $1,000 per year. For more information on Premier Parking and to sign up, please visit: https://flycae.com/park-fly/

• Launched in late 2020, CAE also provides its passengers with an option to pre-book their parking in the Surface or Garage Lots. To pre-book parking, travelers are encouraged to simply visit https://flycae.com/park-fly/ and enter their trip information. On average, customers have seen a roughly 18% savings on their parking rates by pre-booking.

For more information about all on-site parking options at CAE, please visit https://flycae.com/airport/parking/.

About Southern Valet | Valet & Transportation:

Established in 2005, Southern Valet realizes the wants, needs, and requirements of hotel, restaurant, wedding, and private event parking, as well as transportation throughout the Palmetto State. With more than fifteen years of valet experience, founders Derek Nattier and Sean Potter take pride in providing a first-class service to every client, every time. The inability to find accessible parking close to a destination can take away from the pleasure and excitement of any experience. For example, a private party at your home could easily become a disaster if guests have difficulty locating parking in a private neighborhood, especially if they have to walk in inclement weather. Southern Valet creates a personalized solution for your parking needs to provide everyone a memorable and enjoyable experience. 

The South Carolina Air National Guard (SCANG hereafter) has concluded its temporary relocation operation out of the Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE hereafter) in which F-16s from McEntire Joint National Guard Base (McEntire hereafter) were operating since May of 2022.

“This was a complex partnership to pull off, that involved a lot of moving parts, and I’m incredibly proud to say that it was successful because of the skilled teams from both organizations being willing to support the effort and see it through until the end,” said Mike Gula, Executive Director of the Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

During its time at CAE, the 169th Fighter Wing continued training its regular operations while their F-16 runway at McEntire was being resurfaced. Takeoffs and landings could be seen and heard during the temporary relocation, something many locals enjoyed.

While onsite at CAE no commercial aviation was impacted and daily flights continued as normal throughout the duration of the temporary relocation.

“We are so thankful for the great partnership we’ve experienced this past year with our friends at Columbia Metropolitan Airport,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Quaid Quadri, commander of the 169th Fighter Wing. “The support we’ve received from CAE, as well as all our community partners, is second to none and we couldn’t do what we do without them. The South Carolina Air National Guard is grateful for everyone’s support.”

This partnership is one of many between the Department of Defense and CAE that has occurred over the years including the use of CAE’s airfield by the Navy and the Air Force for touch-and-gos and other flight training needs.

“We honestly hate to see the SCANG go but with our longstanding relationship, look forward to welcoming them back in the future,” said Gula.