Up, up and away

There's no need to go to Pittsburgh or Cleveland first if you're on your way to visit Mickey and Minnie. It could even be said that you'd have to be a little goofy to pass up a chance to fly directly from the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport to Orlando, Fla., home of Disney World and other theme parks.
The inaugural flights of Vacation Express took off late last week for Orlando and Myrtle Beach, S.C., with one-way tickets as cheap as $69.
Combine low fares with quick access to the airport, an easily navigable facility and relatively inexpensive parking, and flying out of Youngstown-Warren is an obviously attractive alternative.
Of course, these are very specialized flights, and they hardly put the local airport back on the travel map. But the flights, -- and the response to them by 13,000 travelers who have booked tickets -- are an encouraging sign.
A metropolitan necessity
We have been disappointed in the airport's performance in recent years. But we have never lost faith in the facility. We remain convinced that any metropolitan area must have a functioning airport if it is to be taken seriously.
And clearly, air transportation is an industry in flux today. Congestion in the skies above major airports and long security lines on the ground will encourage some carriers to look for alternatives.
Mahoning Valley residents have fallen into a routine of driving to Pittsburgh or Cleveland for flights in the post-deregulation shakeout of airline travel. The Youngstown-Warren Municipal Airport has the potential to develop into an alternative site for specialized flights that offer less hassle than larger airports and would be attractive to travelers from a wide radius.
Whatever the future may hold for Youngstown-Warren, it was good to see regularly scheduled passenger jets taking to the skies over Vienna Township once again.