PEOPLExpress (2nd) (Newport News/Williamsburg) touched down today (August 1) with its new service connecting Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport with Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport in Virginia.

“Atlanta was an important destination for the original PEOPLExpress in the 1980s and we’re delighted to return with the same great low fares and convenient non-stop service,” said Jeff Erickson, a long-time airline executive leading the start-up. “People have been very receptive and supportive of our service. From the very beginning, PEOPLExpress was designed to provide a fun, creative and innovative approach to air travel to dispel the myth that low air fares have to mean low service or an impersonal experience. PEOPLExpress is restoring the concepts of respect, value and excitement to the air travel experience. It’s time to Fly Smart!™”

The Boeing 737-400 service operates daily, arriving from Newport News at 11:50 a.m. and departing Atlanta at 12:50 p.m.

Airport officials today welcomed PEOPLExpress with a water cannon salute and ribbon-cutting at the gate.

PEOPLExpress launched service June 30 to Newark, N.J., Boston and Pittsburgh and added West Palm Beach, Florida, to its route map on July 14 and has carried nearly 20,000 customers in its first month of service. On Aug. 28, PEOPLExpress begins service to both St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Florida, and New Orleans.

PEOPLExpress has developed a low-cost, a la carte service model that enables customers to create a customized travel product reflecting their individual wishes and budgets. Customers can choose to fly at an ultra-low price with friendly and attentive service but minimal frills or they can opt to purchase extras they want to make their trip more enjoyable, such as priority boarding, pre-assigned seating or an upgrade to a Living Large™ seat with more personal space.

Top Copyright Photo: PEOPLExpress (2nd).

Bottom Copyright Photo: Atlanta Airport. The first flight arrives at the gate at ATL.