American Eagle Airlines to begin service between Charleston and DFW

American Eagle Airlines, a regional affiliate of American Airlines, will add nonstop service between Charleston International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International airport beginning April 3.

American Eagle will operate two daily round-trip flights between the two cities using 50-seat Embraer 145 regional aircraft.

The Charleston-Dallas/Fort Worth flights will depart at 7:47 a.m. and 2:45 p.m., touching down at 9:35 a.m. and 4:36 p.m. The return service will leave Dallas/Fort Worth daily at 10:40 a.m. and 5:50 p.m., landing in Charleston at 2:09 p.m. and 9:10 p.m.

“This new service to Charleston will provide convenient access to visit one of this country’s most popular tourist destinations,” said American Eagle President Peter Bowler. “It also provides Charleston residents with access to the DFW hub, with connections to more than 100 cities around the world.”

Dave Jackson, a spokesman for the airline, said the company has been expanding service to the Southeast since last year, with its flights to and from Savannah, Ga., Gulfport, Miss., Chattanooga, Tenn., and Pensacola, Fla.

Jackson said the decision to expand into Charleston was unrelated to the demise of Independence Air, which had been serving the Charleston market, but rather Delta airline’s decision to abandon its hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International.

“We’re delighted to be serving Charleston; it’s a great city, and one we believe is being underserved at the present time,” Jackson said. “We see this as an opportunity to serve a thriving tourism market and some business travelers too.”

Rep. Henry Brown Jr., who represents Charleston, said in a written statement provided by the air carrier that the announcement was encouraging news, particularly in light of the region’s economic development efforts.

“(With) the addition of these two flights by American Eagle, a growing number of people will see for themselves all that Charleston has to offer,” Brown said.

U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint agreed. “This nonstop service by American Eagle will allow Charleston to connect to key destinations in Central and South America, bringing greater economic opportunity to the Lowcountry for trade and commerce with these countries,” he said in the same written statement.

American Eagle is the largest U.S. regional airline, operating more than 1,700 daily flights to more than 140 cities throughout the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, Mexico and the Caribbean.