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Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport welcomes Punta Gorda flight
vienna
The Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport welcomed its first flight to Punta Gorda, Fla., on Wednesday by inviting local officials, frequent fliers, congressional aides and others to inaugurate the addition of the airport’s fourth nonstop commercial flight service.
Allegiant Airlines, which also offers nonstop service to Orlando, St. Petersburg and Myrtle Beach from the airport, first announced the new addition in July.
On Wednesday, the flight arrived at 3 p.m. for a Punta Gorda departure time of 3:40 p.m.
Dan Dickten, director of aviation at the airport, said officials there had been working to attract the destination for more than two years.
Through the work of the Trumbull County commissioners, the board of directors at the Western Reserve Port Authority, the port authority staff and $4 million worth of bonds, the airport has made significant improvements to its infrastructure, which helped attract the flight, Dickten said.
Flights to Punta Gorda will operate twice weekly, with one-way fares as low as 89.99. Flight days and times can be found at Allegiant.com.
About 90,000 passengers are expected to fly out of the airport this year, with an increase projected for 2014, when the airport expects 110,000 passengers.