ExpressJet relaunches from Reno in bid for leisure travelers

With pandemic living spurring pent-up demand for vacations, a new airline is focused on luring US leisure travelers to the Reno-Lake Tahoe area for weekend trips. ExpressJet Airlines, a former regional carrier that shut down last year, plans to begin service Oct. 24 under the name Aha!, shuttling passengers to Reno, Nevada, from eight western US markets. The moniker is derived from the company’s plans to sell “air, hotel, adventure” trips, bundling lodging and eventually other items such as rental cars, ski trips and excursions, said Subodh Karnik, chief executive officer of Atlanta-based ExpressJet. Aha will become the third US startup airline to begin flying this year. ExpressJet’s initial plan was to fly from what it considers “underserved” cities, but it changed to launching from a Reno base because of the shift in the US toward leisure travel. Business and long-distance international traffic remain subdued amid the continued spread of Covid-19. “Everybody’s pivoting toward so-called comfort vacations,” Karnik said. People are seeking short, two-to-five-day trips “because I’m sick of staying at home” amid the pandemic, he said.<br/>