"They can get the price just as cheap through Apple Vacations.com, or through a travel agency booking Apple Vacations," Mullen said. "It's available, just on a different airline."
James Tyrrell, deputy Philadelphia aviation director, said USA3000 notified the airport in May that it planned to stop flying the Apple charters, and "they told us that someone else would take over the service."
Recently, the airport learned that Frontier, which flies to Denver and Milwaukee from Philadelphia International Airport, would take over the USA3000 service. A reservation agent for USA3000 said the last USA3000 Philadelphia flight to Cancun is Oct. 15, and to Punta Cana on Oct. 14.
USA3000's departure will not result in a loss of airport revenue because Frontier is picking up the flights: two or three days a week to both Cancun and Punta Cana, Tyrrell said.
"I see it as a good business move," said Kate Murphy, president and CEO of Wings Travel Group in Blue Bell, which books Apple Vacation travel. "Why would you want to be involved in hardware - planes - when you can charter from an existing airline?"
"Frontier obviously would like to bulk up their numbers out of Philadelphia. It seems to me it's the best of both worlds."
Murphy said customers want the best value for their money, and as long as "the pricing doesn't change, or can be even better, then I'm for it and my clients are for it."
USA3000 began as an airline in December 2001 and grew by late 2004 to operate 14 Airbus A320 aircraft from 10 cities, and seasonal service from several others, in the Northeast and Midwest to warm-weather destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Florida.
Apple always filled most of the seats, but travelers could book scheduled air service on the USA3000 planes, without purchasing a vacation package.
