Southern Airways to resume PDK flights

Southern Airways Express said it will resume flights out of DeKalb-Peachtree Airport on nine-seat turboprop aircraft to Memphis and Destin May 30.

The public charter service will run five times a week on each of the routes from Atlanta.

Southern Airways started flying last year and has a fleet of three Cessna Caravan turboprops. It operated flights last September from DeKalb-Peachtree — a general aviation airport known as PDK — to Memphis, Birmingham, Destin and Panama City.

CEO Stan Little said about two-third of Southern Airways’ flights out of PDK were profitable last year, and the company is not resuming the Birmingham and Panama City service this summer. But he hopes the Memphis flights can attract business travelers throughout the year.

Little said fares start at $198 one way, with last-minute fares at $298 one way. Because Southern Airways is not scheduled commercial airline service, he said travelers don’t pay for checked baggage or airport parking and are not required to go through security checkpoints as they do at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.