PITTSTON TWP. — A new charter flight from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport will whisk vacationers nonstop to Freeport in the Bahamas and back beginning in September.
Operated by Regional Sky, the initial flight will leave the airport at 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 19 and return Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. Travelers will be able to purchase flight-only tickets for $552 or a flight and four-night vacation package starting at $977.
Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news/153442394/
Last month was the third coldest February on record and it tied for fourth place as one of the coldest months ever in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The average temperature last month was 17.5 degrees as recorded by the National Weather Service at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.
January 1918 was just as cold.
Only two other Februaries locally have been colder since 1901, when record-keeping started: February 1934 with an average temperature of 15.4 degrees and February 1979 with an average temp of 15.9 degrees.
Read more:
http://citizensvoice.com/news/february-was-third-coldest-on-record-1.1841705
Northeastern Pennsylvania public transit riders may eventually take buses directly between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, rather than having to transfer to a different bus in Pittston to make the trip.
Lackawanna and Luzerne County officials envision new travel options — like a direct bus link between the cities — among many benefits of merging several mass transit agencies in both counties into a single Lackawanna-Luzerne Regional Transportation Authority.
The state Department of Transportation hired consultant HNTB Corp. to study the move, which would create the state’s third largest transportation authority. The cost of the study was not available Monday.
If it happens, Lackawanna and Luzerne county officials foresee having more clout to attract state and federal grant money to improve Northeastern Pennsylvania’s transportation network for buses, the region’s growing rail industry and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.
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
Locator map of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Statistical Area in the northeastern part of the of . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It’s a snow day for almost everyone.
With the winter storm pummeling Northeast Pennsylvania expected to continue into early Friday, schools and most government offices are shut down, and many businesses and some employers have followed suit.
Getting around is already difficult and is only going to get worse. Plows and salt trucks were prepared for a long siege. Roadways speed limits have been lowered.
COLTS announced its buses will quit running this afternoon, and most commercial bus runs to and from the area have been canceled. It’s the same at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, where most flights have been scrubbed.
Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/snow-storm-starts-many-activities-stop-1.1621652
Locator map of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Statistical Area in the northeastern part of the of . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
AVOCA, PA — The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport has applied for a $575,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to help expand service and market the airport.
The application was filed this week with the FAA’s Small Community Air Service Development Grant program.
The grant would be used toward a nearly $1.2 million initiative that includes enticing airlines to add flights to leisure and business destinations not currently offered out of Northeastern Pennsylvania including Tampa, Boston, Pittsburgh, Washington and Las Vegas, said Barry J. Centini, the airport’s director.
Money would be used to help subsidize the airlines, could go toward landing fees and other offers making flying in to and out of the area more attractive, Centini said. Additional money would be used to amplify marketing efforts for those airlines and existing airlines.
Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/local-news/792704/Avoca-airport-applies-for-grant-to-expand-service
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Wyoming County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Five people have died in a helicopter that went down in bad weather Saturday night in Wyoming County.
Deputy Coroner Alan Thatcher confirmed the number on board, but said he could not release identities or any other information on the victims.
The helicopter was found near the border of Noxen and Forkston townships on Sunday.
Thatcher said he heard the helicopter had taken off from the Greater Binghamton Airport. The Associated Press reported it was headed to Jake Arner Memorial Airport in Lehighton.
Read more: http://thedailyreview.com/news/five-dead-in-wyoming-county-helicopter-crash-1.1527417
Locator map of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Statistical Area in the northeastern part of the of . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Private charter flights from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport to at least one new destination appear likely to start by the end of the year with the airport’s expanding relationship with Aviation Technologies.
Michael Gallagher, chief financial officer of Aviation Technologies, identified Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Florida, Myrtle Beach, S.C., and the Bahamas as potential destinations of interest.
Gallagher hopes the company can “make an announcement” regarding some sort of expansion of service in the fall, with an eye toward the flights becoming available on Dec. 1.
Airport officials are negotiating a long-term contract with Aviation Technologies to take over many important functions at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, such as airplane maintenance and running the flight school.
Read more: http://citizensvoice.com/news/more-choices-coming-to-avoca-airport-1.1527453
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport board on Thursday cleared the way for development of a multimillion-dollar access road project.
The board, including the commissioners of Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, formally released 16.5 acres of land for the state Department of Transportation to build an access road that will extend from Interstate 81 through the airport property, overpass the Pennsylvania Turnpike and connect to the Grimes Industrial Park in Pittston Township.
“This is a big deal,” Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O’Brien said. “It opens up the west end of the airport for future economic development projects.
Thirteen acres of the land will be used for the access road and the remaining 3.5 acres will be used for reconstruction of the of the airport exit along Interstate 81 in Dupont. The project will combine the Avoca and airport exits into one and move traffic through a series of roundabouts.
Read more: http://standardspeaker.com/news/airport-clears-way-for-50m-i-81-project-1.1476011
Locator map of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Metropolitan Statistical Area in the northeastern part of the of . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The natural-gas drilling boom in the Marcellus Shale could be the key to ending a 6-year hiatus in air service between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport and the second-largest city in Pennsylvania.
A study examining the feasibility of providing commercial air service between Pittsburgh International Airport and 13 intrastate regional airports is halfway complete, said Jeffrey Hartz, a senior consultant at Mead & Hunt, the group hired to complete the report.
Funded in part by the Allegheny County Airport Authority, the study is designed to develop business plans – including possible costs and flight schedules – and market analyses for airport boards to present to interested airlines.
The study will assess the demand for adding connecting flights on a market-by-market basis and provide information, including how full an aircraft must be on a daily basis in order for an airline to profit.
Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/shale-boom-helps-restore-service-from-avp-to-pittsburgh-1.1463055
One day after the president of the United States signed a bill regarding sequestration, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport Director Barry Centini scoffed at the notion his airport would be one of the casualties of the potential across-the-board spending cuts.
On Wednesday, Barack Obama signed the Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012, which requires him to provide details within 30 days on how sequestration – severe budget cuts to most federal agencies – would be implemented if enacted on Jan. 2. The legislation also requires the directors of federal agencies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration, to develop a plan and submit it to Congress, detailing how they would deal with such cuts.
According to Todd Hauptli, the senior executive vice president of the American Association of Airport Executives, the FAA is still developing a plan for how it would cope with the projected $1.35 billion, or nine percent, cut from its annual budget. However, a study done by the American Center for Progress – a liberal think-tank – suggests the administration likely would have to close more than 100 U.S. airports, including the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, to decrease its expenditures and meet the budget reduction.
Despite all of that, Mr. Centini says he isn’t concerned about the airport’s future.
More than 100 U.S. airports, including Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International, are in jeopardy of losing their air traffic control service – forcing their closure – under automatic federal spending cuts set to take effect Jan. 2, according to a Center for American Progress study.
Under the potential across-the-board budget cuts, or sequestration, the Federal Aviation Administration would be required to slash an estimated $1.35 billion, or approximately 9 percent, from its annual budget for each of the next 10 years, starting in January, to reduce the nation’s deficit, according to the study.
In order to decrease its expenditures, the administration may choose to restrict flights nationwide – from 70,000 to 62,000 per year – said Scott Lilly, a CAP senior writer and the author of the study.
However, Mr. Lilly said it is more likely the FAA will be forced to cut air traffic service at 106 of the nation’s smaller commercial airports – which he defined as less than 750,000 passengers per year – including the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, Lehigh Valley International Airport and Harrisburg International Airport.
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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.
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Here is some updated information on the plane crash story below.
The pilot of the crashed plane, James Caswell, 22 of Lake Ariel, PA, was airlifted to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown. Mr. Caswell suffers from a broken leg and bruises. There were no other passengers on board.
The rented plane took off from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport in Avoca and flew to Lancaster. Caswell was returning to Avoca when the single-engine, fixed-wing Piper aircraft crashed near Benton, PA, Sunday evening around 9 p.m. The plane was rented from FBO Air WB Leasing, Inc., located at Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport.
Fortunately, Caswell was able to reach help by using his cell phone after crashing.
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