Now some possible good news for the airport (from the IJ):
Ithaca airport targets Chicago, Charlotte flights
County seeks federal grant to upgrade flight options
Tompkins Regional Airport passengers may one day have the option of a direct flight to Chicago or Charlotte, N.C. First, the airport must secure a federal grant. / File photo
Written by
David Hill
The Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport, with backing from Tompkins County’s economic development agency and an air-service consultant, are seeking a federal grant in hopes of adding direct flights to the major hubs of Charlotte, N.C. and Chicago.
USAirways has discussed Charlotte as a possibility for direct flights from Ithaca, which would improve access to the South, now reachable through hubs in Philadelphia, Newark or Detroit, but it would likely require availability of regional jets, Airport Director Bob Nicholas said Friday.
Chicago is a significant destination for Ithaca passengers already, but is reachable only through the presently accessible hubs. American Airlines, which has a merger with USAirways pending before regulators, has a hub there, as does United Airlines.
The airport, with support of Tompkins County Area Development and consultant Boyd International, is applying for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Small Community Air Service Development Grant.
The program will give grants to about 40 communities — up to four in a given state — to help them promote and expand air service. It is separate from the essential air service grant, which helps very small, remote communities maintain air service.
An airport with ample flight options and competitive fares is widely seen as essential to both quality of life and economic development, particularly since Ithaca lacks rail service, an interstate or even a four-lane highway.
TCAD has solicited letters of support from major employers and businesses to help back the grant application.
Ithaca received a $500,000 grant in 2005 that helped lure Northwest Airlines, which is now merged with USAirways.
The grant allowed for promoting the airport and Northwest’s service to its Detroit hub and included a revenue guarantee. But the county did not have to pay because the airline met proscribed passenger targets, Nicholas said. A similar revenue guarantee would be part of the new grant, along with marketing to promote the new service.
“You need a significant boost in things like marketing dollars and various other tools to get the thing established,” Nicholas said. “Once established, people know it’s there and they use it and that’s how you cement the air service in the community. You’ve got to establish it to begin with, and it takes money to be able to do that.”
Assuming the USAirways-American merger goes through, Ithaca will already be in the direct or regional-affiliate systems of each of the remaining legacy major air carriers.
United and American have major hubs at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, and USAirways’ Southeastern hub is in Charlotte.
Here's the link:
http://www.ithacajournal.com/article...rlotte-flights