Red Way dropping Lincoln flights to Atlanta, Minneapolis and Austin in early August

The leisure air carrier, which began flying out of the Lincoln Airport in June, will have its final flights to Austin, Texas, on Aug. 5 and to Atlanta and Minneapolis on Aug. 7.

Those markets “unfortunately don’t make sense to continue,” said Red Way CEO Nick Wangler, saying the carrier never gained traction in those markets.

Two months into the Red Way experiment, Wangler knew some things wouldn’t pan out as well as others. The soft sales in those three markets are disappointing but don’t diminish his view of the overall picture, he said.

“I’m more disappointed in myself that we picked a couple of markets that ultimately didn’t work,” Wangler said.

It’s doubtful those markets will come back in the spring, he added.

So far, Red Way has tapped $928,398 from the $3 million pot formed by the city of Lincoln and Lancaster County from American Rescue Plan Act funds.

While that sounds like a lot, Wangler said the airline is so far meeting its financial expectations.

Dave Haring, executive director of the Lincoln Airport, said the infusion of cash so far has not been a surprise.

“That was expected early on,” Haring said. “We don’t expect another draw to be that big.”

It’s hard to figure out why the three markets didn’t succeed, Haring said. The airfares to Austin seemed low enough to attract travelers, while Minneapolis and Atlanta — although “not traditional leisure markets” — are popular destinations.

“That’s one of the unique things about seasonal markets,” Haring said. “This does happen from time to time. For whatever reason, a certain destination just doesn’t click.”

The good news is that Red Way has sold more than 36,000 tickets since late March and has exceeded expectations in Dallas and Nashville, Tennessee. In addition, the first three days of sales for flights to Tampa, Florida, and Phoenix have been solid. There’s also a chance those flights could begin early, Wangler said.

“We have a bunch of flights that are working incredibly well,” Wangler said. “There’s a lot of good stuff coming.”

Wangler said he is a few days from announcing a fifth winter destination, joining Las Vegas; Orlando and Tampa, Florida; and Phoenix.

He just needs final approval from that airport on what time the flight can both take off and land.

“Once we receive that approval I think we’re in a position where we have everything else done,” he said.

And Wangler promises it will make a splash.

“Let’s put it this way, I think it’s gonna be something you’re going to want to (book).”