DOT, residents should make daily service at the airport fly

If all systems stay go, this region will have good reason to collectively celebrate and give thanks on next month’s Thanksgiving holiday.

That’s when Dan Dicken, director of aviation for the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna Township, believes startup of daily airline service there could begin for the first time in more than a decade.

The Western Reserve Port Authority Board of Directors earlier this week unanimously approved plans to start daily commercial service to a Midwest hub airport, likely either Detroit or Chicago. The only obstacle to a smooth and speedy takeoff is formal approval by the U.S. Department of Transportation of the application for the new route from Aerodynamics Inc. of Beachwood, Ohio, and Atlanta.

We urge federal regulators in Washington to act as expeditiously as possible in approving the airlines’ application so that Aerodynamics can kick-start its service during one of the busiest seasons of the year in airline travel. John Moliterno, interim executive director of the port authority, believes application approval could come in a matter of days.

We also urge Mahoning Valley residents and business leaders to respond in kind by rerouting their travel plans with YNG in mind. The local airport will offer significantly more convenience for all users by omitting the long, costly and often congested drive to airports in Cleveland, Pittsburgh or Akron-Canton. It will also slash costs in parking fees and save considerable time in the hassles of boarding preparations.

As long as airfares stay competitive with the larger airports in the region, we suspect that the convenience factor alone will serve as a solid foundation for potential growth in the number of flights Aerodynamics will offer and for potential interest among other larger commercial airlines to expand their operations into Youngstown-Warren.

But the value of the years-long quest to reinstitute daily service in the Valley, however, transcends mere convenience. We’ve consistently argued that a vibrant airport served by a major airline carrier or its subsidiary is essential for the economic revival of the Mahoning Valley. Such service literally and figuratively would put the Greater Youngstown area on the map.

Allegiant Airlines’ success

The facility, after all, is primed to do so. The airport has grown and matured significantly since the last daily carrier pulled out 12 years ago. In 2003, the airport carried a mere 16,000 passengers. In 2013, airport load levels had soared to 95,000 with estimates for this year set to rise above 130,000. Much of that growth has come from the success of Allegiant Airlines’ vacation service to resort towns in Florida and South Carolina.

YNG also has made substantial enhancements to its facility in recent years, including its current project to enlarge its low-cost parking lot by 500 spaces. Other improvements have included remodeling the terminal, drainage and roof repairs, constructing a rental-car parking facility, security upgrades, addition of a passenger boarding bridge and repaving of airport entranceways.

In short, Dickten and port authority board members have worked diligently to reawaken the regional airport’s once sleepy potential. In return, businesses and communities have expressed their thanks and hopes with tens of thousands of monetary pledges that will serve as part of a revenue guarantee for Aerodynamics critical first months of service here. Soon, however, it will be up to local travelers to add their support by using the facility regularly and proving to any lingering naysayers that the Mahoning Valley is indeed ready to take off.