Mall developer considers investing in airline, linking to new mall By Associated Press, 2/1/2002 00:13 SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) The Pyramid Cos. is considering investing in a Syracuse-based start-up airline and tying it in with the proposed $1.8 billion retail and entertainment center it plans to build. The discussions with Northern Airlines have included the possibility of renaming the carrier Destiny Airlines, after the proposed Destiny USA megamall. Pyramid said a Syracuse-based airline offering low air fares, combined with hotel and upstate vacation packages, could help bring visitors from other states to Destiny USA, whch they hope to open in 2004. ''To support the 4,000 hotel rooms planned for Destiny and the new businesses that will develop as a result of this project, we are committed to developing a superior airline company in this market, which has been poorly served for years,'' Pyramid founder Robert Congel said in a statement released Wednesday. The Destiny USA project calls for tripling the size of the existing Carousel Mall, and also adding a four-story aquarium, a 1,500-foot recreation of the Erie Canal, a 65-acre indoor park with a running brook, 4,000 hotel rooms and a 50,000-square-foot New York Tourism/Exposition Center. Financing of the project is still being negotiated between Pyramid and the city of Syracuse and Onondaga County. Timothy Sieber, the carrier's vice president of marketing, said Northern approached Pyramid about an investment in the airline in September. ''They were very receptive,'' he said. ''I think they see the value of having a hometown airline. An airline tied to the community is going to be more focused on Syracuse.'' Although no deal has been cut between Northern and Pyramid, officials said the mall developer was considering providing a ''large portion'' of the $60 million in start-up funds Northern needs to begin service. If talks come to a successful conclusion, Northern said it could begin operations out of Syracuse Hancock International Airport as early as the end of this year. Northern was formed by a group of local investors in 1996 with hopes of launching a low-cost airline serving Northeast cities. However, raising the millions of dollars needed to buy planes, hire pilots and get into the air has proven difficult. But Northern officials say the changes in the airline industry since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks are working in their favor. While major carriers are struggling, low-cost ones like Southwest, JetBlue, AirTran and Frontier are turning profits and attracting investors, they said. Northern also is hoping the Destiny USA project will help the airline's prospects, Sieber said. Studies estimate the project will draw 35 million visitors a year, including 12.3 million from outside New York. Some of those out-of-state visitors will come by air. Northern plans to use new 117-seat Boeing 717s and instead of flying point to point, it will use the more traditional hub-and-spoke system, with flights coming into Syracuse before moving on to other cities. The new plan will allow the airline to serve more cities with fewer planes. _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx