Last month, we asked you which cities you’d like to see added to Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE)’s list of eight (soon to be nine) nonstop domestic destinations.

We also mentioned that CAE can’t snap its fingers and add a destination – because air service development is a whole thing. Here’s how it works:

CAE’s Air Service Development Director, with the support of an air service consultant, works with airline route planners to determine if a market – like Columbia – would be a viable option for either new service, additional service, or bringing in a new carrier.
Route planners look at the health of existing routes and compare those routes to others in similarly sized markets. They also take a look at overall demand for certain destinations. Ex: If there’s an increase in travelers going from CAE ➡️ ATL ➡️ Boston (final destination), they may look into adding a nonstop flight from CAE ➡️ Boston.
Additionally, route planners are very interested in the makeup of and activity within a destination. What major businesses and industries are within a market? Is there a major university or a strong military presence? How close is one market to another market with similar offerings? Does the destination have tourism offerings?
Sometimes it comes down to the right time for a new route or new carrier, which can take months or years to come to fruition. Air service development is a marathon – not a sprint.
Side note: There are three main classifications of airlines:
Legacy: i.e. Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United, etc.
Low Cost: i.e. Spirit, Southwest
Ultra Low Cost: i.e. Frontier

Takeaway: Keep flying out of CAE. The more traffic through CAE, the more options travelers will have. It’s that good ole supply and demand… or in this case, demand and supply. The good news is that departing passenger numbers continue to grow, recently reflecting a 16.83% increase for August 2019 over August 2018. Way to go, team.

So – where to next?

After collecting feedback from your 250+ emails and 70+ Instagram comments, here are the top 7 nonstop domestic flights you want to come to CAE:

Boston was the top-mentioned city with 82 of you saying you want a nonstop flight there. Denver, Nashville, Orlando, Las Vegas, Detroit and New Orleans followed as the most-submitted destinations, each mentioned more than 20 times.
All your nonstop domestic destination ideas:
City | Number of people who suggested it

Baltimore | 20

Los Angeles | 19

Seattle | 16

San Francisco | 15

Houston | 14

Tampa | 11

Newark | 11

Austin | 11

Minneapolis | 10

Pittsburgh | 10

Cleveland | 9

Fort Lauderdale | 8

Phoenix | 7

Fort Myers, FL | 5

Indianapolis | 5

San Diego | 5

Portland | 5

West Palm Beach | 5

St. Louis | 4

Cincinnati | 4

Salt Lake City | 3

San Antonio | 3

Raleigh | 3

Asheville | 3

Dayton | 3

Charleston | 3

Kansas City | 3

Birmingham | 3

Memphis | 3

Providence | 3

Oakland | 2

Albany, NY | 2

Milwaukee | 2

Savannah | 2

Greenville | 2

Columbus | 2

Melbourne, FL | 2

Louisville | 2

Sacramento | 2

Chicago | 3

Toledo | 2

El Paso | 2

Reno

Sanford, FL

Key West

Tucson

Sarasota

San Jose

Des Moines

Bozeman, MT

Tallahassee

Tulsa

Scranton

Pensacola

Jacksonville

Peoria, IL

Philadelphia

Lexington, KY

St. Petersburg/Clearwater

Jackson

Hartford, CT

White Plains, NY

Winston-Salem

Mobile

Traverse City, MI

Bangor, Maine

Buffalo

Flint

Destin

Chattanooga

Biloxi

Akron–Canton

East Lansing, MI

Salisbury, MD

Naples, FL
Quoteworthy submissions:

Boston

“CAE should consider Boston, a major medical and business center as a city to fly to.” -Darren B.

“Two realistic destinations I’d like to see are Boston (Delta/JetBlue Hub) and the return of Detroit (Delta Hub).” -@stephen_from_sc

“My husband is a Harvard Glee Club alumnus and we also have several colleagues/friends who visit from Boston. We would go a lot more often if there were a CAE nonstop!” -Kathryn F.

“I work for a biotech start up company and I am consistently traveling to Boston every other month. I would really like a direct flight to Boston!” -Todd M.

Nashville

“Nashville would be great, for work + play!” -Katie P.

“Nashville BNA would be a great non stop addition for CAE!” -James T.

Denver

“Definitely Denver. Anything else would be icing.” -Nicole H.

“Denver! Nonstop! Thanks for asking, and hopefully you’ll pass this along to the powers at be!” Cathy S.

“Denver! West, but not TOO west so it would be a flight of reasonable length. Not only is Denver and the Front Range itself a desirable spot, Denver offers a lot of great direct flights, too, like Honolulu, Tokyo, and Anchorage!” -Derek D.

The Midwest

“There are a ton of Midwest families in Columbia due to the military. We would love to see Kansas City, Minneapolis, Denver and Tulsa. Plus, other military cities would be helpful-Seattle and Nashville especially.” -Samantha H.

“Detroit, Las Vegas, and Minneapolis. OUR family, at least, goes to these places a LOT. I’d rather stop taking Charlotte flights. :)” -Lori P.

“I would love to see a direct flight to Cleveland, Ohio. There is a large number of people with ties to the Northeast Ohio area in Columbia, SC (myself included). It makes sense with route 77 starting in Columbia and ending in downtown Cleveland.” -Mark Z.

“I would love to see a direct flight added to Saint Louis. It’s a rapidly growing airport located centrally with many daily nonstops.” -Whitney M.

And beyond

“Nothing would make me happier than if CAE added a direct flight to Seattle.” -Erika H.

“We would like to see a non-stop flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is part of the U.S., thus should be considered as a domestic flight.” -Edye P.

“We need a direct flight to San Antonio. Remember the Alamo!” -Skye K.

“Fort Lauderdale so my friends can come visit me @andrea.neilan @ebjbelk @khowe010” -@jessicahell

“I believe due to a large Pittsburgh Steelers' presence here in the Midlands, a nonstop to Pittsburgh would be great. I'll be on the first flight to visit family and my sports team. Especially in the winter months.” -David B.

“How about bringing in at least one of the low-cost airlines? We drive to Myrtle and Charlotte to take advantage of Spirit and Frontier.” -Mark A.

“Key West. Nonstop to Magaritaville, yes please! ️👙🌴☀️” -Emily S.

“I'd like to see flights to Orlando. With as many theme parks as they have, I think it would be silly not to!” -Kathryn T.

“Newark, NJ! When I came down to USC as a freshman in 2004, United offered 6 non-stop flights A DAY to Newark. Over the years they gradually removed a few fight times until they completely removed the non-stop flight by 2010 (I could be wrong on the exact year)...Anyway, the flights while I was in college were always jam packed with college students going back home for breaks. I always wonder how all the college students in NJ get home now.” -Amanda M.

Don’t see your dream nonstop domestic destination flight listed here? Add it to our Instagram post.

American, Delta, and United Airlines currently serve Columbia with 62 daily nonstop flights to 9 hub airports in 8 major cities. Check out the current offerings from CAE here. Ⓟ