Frontier Increasing Its Presence In Philadelphia

Frontier Airlines has announced  it will fly to Chicago O’Hare, Charlotte, and Atlanta daily from Philadelphia International Airport, beginning March 13.

An introductory fare starting at $19 one-way will be available until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday at http://www.flyfrontier.com for travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays through April 29.

Fares from $49 one-way will be available on the company’s website until 11:59 p.m. Jan. 10 for travel on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays through May 16. Seats may be limited, and blackout dates will apply.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20150107_Frontier_increasing_its_presence_in_Philadelphia.html#PjJgmfXpSLdGHhOs.99

PEOPLExpress Coming To Pittsburgh International Airport

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Allegheny County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – PEOPLExpress™, the iconic brand that made air travel affordable and accessible, returns to the skies June 30 with low-fare service from Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport to three cities: Boston, Newark, N.J., and Pittsburgh.

PEOPLExpress today announced its inaugural schedule, which includes four additional destinations: West Palm Beach, Fla. (July 15), Atlanta (Aug. 1), and St. Petersburg, Fla., and New Orleans (Aug. 28).

Vision Airlines d/b/a PEOPLExpress will operate scheduled flights from its base at Newport News with an initial fleet of three 737-400 aircraft, each with 150 seats – 138 with coach seating and 12 Living Large™ seats featuring more personal space for a fee. Both seating options will feature the same level of in-flight service.

Fares start as low as $76 each way.

Read more: https://www.flypex.com/

Why PHL Ranks Just 18th For Air Passengers

Philadelphia International Airport (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Philadelphia International Airport is the 18th busiest U.S. airport in passenger traffic, with 30.5 million air travelers last year.

The nation’s busiest passenger airport, Atlanta, handled 94.4 million fliers, while 66.8 million traversed Chicago O’Hare, according to Airports Council International.

Among airports with the fastest passenger growth, Philadelphia was No. 25 among the top 50. Passenger traffic here was up 1 percent.

How does the nation’s sixth-largest metro area by population come in No. 18 in passengers?

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/transportation/20140424_Why_PHL_ranks_just_18th_for_air_passengers.html#P4IVjH9JTs20XwMX.99

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Airport Gets Funds To Aid In Attracting Carriers

Locator map of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Statistical Area in the northeastern part of the of . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PITTSTON TWP. — For the second time in 11 years, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport is the recipient of a federal grant to entice airlines to offer new destinations or to increase the number of flights to current destinations.

The $575,000 federal Small Community Air Service Development grant will be used to encourage airlines to add flights to business and leisure destinations that are among the most requested by passengers.

Airport Director Barry J. Centini said that on the leisure side, he will look to add Myrtle Beach, S.C., Tampa Bay and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., as destinations. For business travelers, Pittsburgh and Washington are the targets.

Those destinations seem to be the ones many customers request or wind up taking connecting flights to get to when they embark from the local airport. He said the funds also could be used to entice airlines already operating out of Avoca to add additional flights to current destinations such as Atlanta.

Read more: http://timesleader.com/news/local-news/1208151/Airport-gets-funds-to-aid-in-attracting-carriers

Wealth Gap Is Widest In Some Affluent US Cities

WASHINGTON (AP) – The gap between the wealthy and the poor is most extreme in several of the United States’ most prosperous and largest cities.

The economic divides in Atlanta, San Francisco, Washington, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles are significantly greater than the national average, according to a study released Thursday by the Brookings Institution, the Washington-based think tank. It suggests that many sources of both economic growth and income inequality have co-existed near each other for the past 35 years.

These cities may struggle in the future to provide adequate public schooling, basic municipal services because of a narrow tax base and “may fail to produce housing and neighborhoods accessible to middle-class workers and families,” the study said.

“There’s something of a relationship between economic success and inequality,” said Alan Berube, a senior fellow at Brookings. “These cities are home to some of the highest paying industries and jobs in the country.”

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/homepage/20140220_ap_9abeed9da7e24c51a0a078a9ca8c73b9.html#fRdwGmPM2m6ZEQji.99

Feds: NY Man Tried To Extort $250K From Paula Deen

ATLANTA (AP) – Authorities on Friday arrested a New York man charged with trying to extort money from embattled celebrity cook Paula Deen in exchange for not going to the news media with “true and damning statements” he said she made.

FBI agents and local sheriff’s deputies arrested Thomas George Paculis, 62, of Newfield, N.Y., Friday morning. A criminal complaint filed Wednesday in federal court in Savannah, Ga., charges him with extortion.

The complaint says Paculis was threatening to go to the media with statements made by Deen unless the former Food Network star gave him $250,000.  The complaint does not specify what was in the statements Paculis claimed were made by Deen.

Paculis did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Friday.  A call to a phone number for Paculis found in the criminal complaint rang unanswered.  He had his initial court appearance Friday in New York and was released on bond, said FBI Special Agent Stephen Emmett in Atlanta.  He has been ordered to appear in federal court in Savannah on July 16.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20130705_ap_3c4f0b80c0464555ac4403b9885126e5.html#pjWmdoGwSTv5x8qd.99

AirTran Discontinuing Service At Lehigh Valley International Airport

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AirTran Airways and Southwest Airlines confirmed plans to combine operations at 22 airports and will discontinue service at Lehigh Valley International Airport and five other operations, LVIA officials announced in a news release.

The service will be discontinued at LVIA effective Aug. 12, 2012. LVIA officials said all ticketed passengers, passengers holding reservations, or passengers wanting to make reservations for flights to or from LVIA have no need to alter their travel plans.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-lehigh-valley-air-tran-20120120,0,7458520.story

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Intl. Airport Sees Increase In Revenue From Marcellus Shale Industry

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PITTSTON TWP. – Delta Air Lines Inc. is adding a flight and upgrading another at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport next year, officials said Monday.

On Jan. 4, Delta plans to upgrade its daily flight to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport from a 50-seat aircraft to a 65-seat aircraft, airport Director Barry Centini said Monday at a regularly scheduled airport board meeting during which projects and plans for an authority were discussed. He also said Delta on March 3 will add a fourth flight to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.

The additional flight will bring Delta’s total departures to five, with four to Detroit and one to Atlanta.

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/delta-adding-flight-next-year-from-local-airport-1.1238229#ixzz1f9Z8Zn5M

61 Year Old Suburban Atlanta Man Slaps Stranger’s Child At Wallyworld!

This is one for the WTF were you thinking category.  It’s one thing to slap you own kids but grabbing a stranger’s two year and and slapping her face four times at Wallyworld is quite another.  Evidently the toddler would not stop crying and the mother didn’t handle her business fast enough to suit Grandpa Walton so he took matters into his own hands (no pun intended).

He was arrested thankfully.  The child is okay.  Somebody needs some anger management.