The city of Huntsville is pushing for cheaper airfare, and they're paying to make it happen.
The Huntsville International Airport is the most expensive airport in the country, according to a recent study from NetCredit. They found the average airfare at Huntsville International to be $456.17 for a domestic flight.
Now, the city is paying a low-cost airline to operate there, hopefully driving down prices for everyone.
"Fly to Huntsville! Why spend two and a half hours driving to Birmingham, Nashville, especially with $5-a-gallon gas. We got a great airport here in the city of Huntsville," said Huntsville City Council member Bill Kling.
Huntsville recently signed an agreement to pay $10,000 a month to keep the low-cost carrier Breeze Airways operating in the Rocket City.
"I think a little competition being generated right now could lead to better service, more flights and additional air carriers coming to Huntsville in the future," said Kling.
"What people want is they want lower ticket prices. OK, and how do you get that? You get that by having low-fare carriers," said Mark McDaniel, chairman of the Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority.
He applauds the city for this new effort, as the airport itself can't help lower prices.
"We got a great world-class facility out there, but those airlines set those rates," explained McDaniel.
The airlines know they can charge such high rates because of the clientele in Huntsville, he said.
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