News & Media

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.

The Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) has been awarded $5 million after its application was selected as part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. CAE was one of 99 airports (of the nearly 383 primary commercial service airports) from across the country to receive funding for various projects and improvements to facilities, ensuring more efficient airports. 

The funding will come from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Airport Terminals Program (ATP) fund. CAE was only one of two airports in South Carolina to receive funding from the 2023 program.

From a statement put out by the Biden Harris Administration, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg commented: “Americans deserve the best airports in the world, and with demand for air travel surging back, this funding to improve the passenger experience comes at the right time. These grants will make it faster and easier to check your bags, get through security and find your gate, all while creating jobs and supporting local economies.”

The funding will support CAE’s checkpoint modernization project that will begin this summer. Within the scope of that project, CAE will look to widen the checkpoint increasing the number of screening lanes – allowing for more passengers to be screened in less time.

“These funds will enhance the overall passenger experience at CAE, providing a more streamlined, effective and easy screening experience for our passengers,” says Executive Director, Mike Gula. “We are thankful for this financial support to begin work and look forward to continuing to grow this airport for good.”

CAE’s current master plan predicts that the airport will exceed *800,000 enplanements in the next five years – a major driver for this expansion project to take place now. (*For comparison, in 2022, CAE had 527,599 enplanements).

Recently, CAE completed phase II of a multi-phase Common Use and Checked Baggage Inspection System (CBIS) project in the main lobby and entrance of the airport. The Common Use system allows ticket desks and ticketing kiosks to operate universally (no matter the airline) creating a seamless transaction process for both airline partners and passengers. The CBIS replaced the need for external scanners and increased the amount of checked bags able to be processed on any given day. Additionally, now passengers do not have to walk bags over to a scanner – they are processed at the ticket counter and handled by airline agents.

“We are regularly researching and studying ways to improve the passenger experience here at CAE,” said Director of Development and Planning, Frank Murray. “These funds will allow us to continue working on improvements and enhancements that will have a positive effect on our passengers travel journey.”

The Columbia Metropolitan Airport is excited to announce that it will be relaunching its in-terminal therapy dog program – with a new name – “Paws to Pet CAEnines,” beginning this Sunday, March 5.

“We are thrilled to be able to restart this program and welcome these cuddly canines back into the airport,” said Director of Marketing and Air Service Development, Kim J. Crafton. “Traveling can be stressful, and while we’ve made concerted efforts to ensure the overall experience at CAE is an easy one, this is a fun way we can carry those efforts across every touchpoint of the airport.”

The popular program was offline for some time due to COVID-19 restrictions and general safety precautions focused on reducing contact points. Now, on a rotating basis, CAE will host roughly 12 trained therapy dogs in the airport to interact with traveling passengers.

All of the participating pooches are currently certified by the Alliance of Therapy Dogs and have all needed vaccines to engage with the public.

“The program will be run by our Director of Business Diversity and Tenant Relations, Tamie Head, as well as the volunteer dog handlers,” continues Crafton. “The times the dogs will be in the airport will vary depending on volunteer’s schedules but keep an eye out and make sure to meet and greet these sweet dogs when you see them on your next trip through the airport.”

The breeds of the therapy dogs range from Schnoodles, Labradoodles and Goldendoodles, to Dachshund mixes, Labrador mixes and Boykin Spaniels. More information about each of the therapy dogs who are participating in “Paws to Pet CAEnines” will be shared on our social media channels.

Be sure to follow CAE on social for all of the latest news and travel updates, as well as stay connected to our “Paws to Pet CAEnines” by following Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Are you interested in having your dog trained to be a future therapy dog? For more information on how to start the process, please visit www.therapydogs.com.

American Airlines has announced that it will be starting a new nonstop route from the Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) beginning July 6, 2023. The route is available now to be booked on the American Airlines website.

“American Airlines is delighted to offer new service between Columbia Metropolitan Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport starting this July,” 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.”

The new daily service will begin on Thursday, July 6^th, departing from CAE at 7:14 a.m. and arriving at ORD at 8:38 a.m. Currently, the aircraft type slated to be used for this route will be a CRJ-200, a 50-seat regional jet.

“The addition of another American Airlines route shows the confidence the airline has in this market, as well as the active response from the community in continuing to utilize this airport and its airline’s route offerings,” said Director of Marketing and Air Service Development, Kim J. Crafton. “We look forward to seeing CAE bustling this summer with travelers taking advantage of this flight and the many others available.”

Of the three carriers at CAE, American Airlines offers the most nonstop flights. This new daily flight will bring the total number of nonstop destinations to seven:

• Charlotte, N.C.
• Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
• Miami, Fla. – Restarting June 3, 2023
• New York City, N.Y. – Restarting May 5, 2023
• Philadelphia, Pa.
• Washington, DC (Reagan National)
• Chicago, Il. – Starting July 6, 2023

“We are so thankful to the American Airlines team for their commitment to the Columbia Metropolitan Airport and the Columbia community,” said Executive Director of CAE, Mike Gula. “We ask that the community continue to support local, by flying local. The more the Midlands region residents fly out of CAE, the more opportunities like this new route we’ll see.”