GSP announces nonstop flights to LaGuardia. More airport updates planned for 2023.

American Airlines soon will offer daily nonstop service to New York's LaGuardia Airport from Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport.

The announcement is one of many new things that air travelers can expect to see at GSP in the year ahead,, according to airport officials.

Beginning May 5, American Airlines will offer two daily flights to New York on its 76-seat Embraer-175 Aircraft, according to GSP and Philippe Puech, American Airlines director of domestic network planning.

Tickets are now available for sale and can be purchased at www.aa.com, Puech said in a statement.

"This new route strengthens our presence at GSP and we expect this route will appeal to both local residents and visitors to this region of the Palmetto State," Puech stated.

The airline currently offers nonstop flights to six other cities from GSP, according to David Edwards, president and CEO of GSP International Airport.

"We applaud American's continued investment in the Upstate SC region, and we are confident that this new route will be well-received," Edwards stated.

GSP's passenger airlines and destinations currently include:

Allegiant Airlines: Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando/Sanford, Tampa/St. Petersburg.

American Airlines: Charlotte, Chicago (ORD), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Miami, Philadelphia.Washington D.C. (DCA).

Contour Airlines: Nashville.

Delta Air Lines: Atlanta, Detroit, New York (LGA).

Silver Airways: Orlando (MCO), Tampa (TPA).

Southwest Airlines: Atlanta, Baltimore, Houston (HOU).

United Airlines: Chicago (ORD), Denver, Houston (IAH), Newark.

GSP Airport is located near Interstate 85 in Greer, midway between Greenville and Spartanburg. Greenville is located 13 miles from the airport and Spartanburg is 18 miles away.

GSP is served by seven major airlines transporting millions of passengers each year. The airport is also a hub for air cargo, including flights regularly flown to and from Europe, Mexico, Asia and points across the U.S.

In January 2021, Florida-based Silver Airways began offering nonstop service from GSP to Florida.

Also in 2021, Southwest Airlines began offering nonstop service to Houston.

GSP earns best small airport honorGreenville-Spartanburg International Airport recognized as best small airport in North America

GSP sees steady passenger air travel growth in 2022

The addition of a flight to New York City by American Airlines comes during a year in which GSP Airport saw continued monthly passenger growth through September as air travel activity gets closer to normal, pre-COVID pandemic levels.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic In 2019, GSP registered 2,612,236 passengers. In 2020, the airport handled 1,065,499 passengers, a sharp drop attributed to the coronavirus crisis. In 2021, activity rebounded, with 1,799,877 passengers registered at GSP.

In January 2022, passenger traffic was 71.% of normal traffic levels, while in September, passenger traffic increased to 85.3% of 2019 traffic levels and reflects a 9.4% increase over the same month in 2021.

More to come at GSP in 2023

Looking ahead, GSP plans to begin work in mid-January 2023 on its "terminal landside roadway improvement" project, to make curb and pedestrian upgrades to improve traffic flow in the terminal complex and lay the infrastructure for future growth and expansion, Cherry said.

Cherry said the public will be updated on potential impacts of the project.

The project includes a new terminal approach road around the north end of the future Garage C and Consolidated Rental Car facility site, which will boost the terminal frontage capacity for loading and unloading passengers.

"In January, we also expect to reopen our RJ Rockers Flight Room restaurant on B Concourse," Cherry said. "The restaurant was closed in 2020 due to the significant decrease in passenger activity resulting from the pandemic."

RJ Rockers Flight Room opened at GSP featuring some of the brewery’s locally-made creations. The Flight Room also serves up burgers, sandwiches, wings, nachos and other classic American favorites.

Also, in March 2023, United Airlines will increase the number of seats offered at GSP by 31% when the airline replaces smaller aircraft with larger mainline jets (between 126 seats and 179 seats) to Chicago, Denver and Houston and adds an additional daily flight to Newark, Cherry said.

This past year saw GSP Airport celebrate its 60th anniversary of the airport's opening to the public on Oct. 15, 1962.

"Through the vision and dedicated efforts of leaders from both Greenville and Spartanburg counties, we have seen Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport develop into a major economic engine and a model for other airports to emulate," Edwards said at an anniversary reception in October.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Airline announces nonstop flights from GSP to New York's LaGuardia