http://www.herald-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070612/OPINION/706120312/1034 This is a printer friendly version of an article from the The Herald-Dispatch Future looking even brighter for Tri-State Airport June 12, 2007 It wasn't that long ago that people in the Huntington area had just about given up on Tri-State Airport. People were so intent on seeing a regional airport built along Interstate 64 between Huntington and Charleston that they almost forgot about the need to keep Tri-State strong. Those Huntington people kept fighting for the regional airport long after it was obvious that the idea was dead. But Tri-State Airport remained, despite several lean years of decreasing use. During all that came the events of 9/11. The airport struggled to maintain traffic numbers as the airline industry faced its own problems. Things are turning around for Tri-State, for the better. Two items last week showed that. First came news that Delta Air Lines regional carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines had begun daily nonstop flights to Atlanta using small regional jets. That gives the airport direct flights to four cities for the first time since 1994. The other destinations are the Delta hub at Cincinnati, the US Airways hub at Charlotte and a low-cost carrier to Orlando, Fla. The next day came word that the federal Department of Transportation had approved a $7 million grant for two runway extension projects. The main runway's length will be increased by 500 feet to 7,019 feet. The safety overrun area of both the main runway and the secondary runway will be increased by 500 feet each. That gives the airport a runway about the length of what was planned for the regional airport. The longer runway will allow larger aircraft to use Tri-State. This is important both for passenger traffic and for freight traffic, such as that used by the FedEx terminal. For a number of reasons, passenger traffic is on the upswing at Tri-State after years of decline. One of the main reasons is that fares are competitive again. For years, travelers avoided Tri-State because of the real or perceived difference of fares between it and neighboring airports. This practice, called "leakage" by those in the air travel trade, threatened the airport's viability unless stopped. Well, it's been reduced. More people are flying out of Tri-State. There's more to do, of course. It wouldn't hurt to have flights to a few more hubs. Reagan National in Washington, D.C., would be a good one to have, but the market must justify it. Airlines won't fly into cities where they lose money. For whatever reason, airlines think they can make money at Tri-State again. That's always good news. The health of Tri-State is one of the most important parts of the local economy. From all appearances, that's being taken care of. ____________________________________________________________________________________ It's here! Your new message! Get new email alerts with the free Yahoo! Toolbar. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/mail/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".