West Virginia Airport Launches Advertising Campaign to Promote New Service to Cleveland

    March 17, 2006
    The first phase of the marketing plan will run throughout April and will inform the public through radio, television, billboards, newspapers, Web sites and other methods.

    Source via NewsEdge Corporation

    Mar. 16--Morgantown Municipal Airport will begin a marketing campaign next month to promote its new air service to Cleveland, set to begin around May 1.

    The first phase of the marketing plan will run throughout April and will inform the public through radio, television, billboards, newspapers, Web sites and other methods.

    RegionsAir, based in Smyrna, Tenn., will provide air service to the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport with connecting flights through Continental Airlines.

    "The goal is to give an awareness of what's coming and show the benefits of what the public will be able to enjoy," said Bob Hammel, Morgantown Municipal Airport director.

    "It's important for people to know that this is an improved availability of flights to key locations."

    Doug Caldwell, RegionsAir president and CEO, said the second phase of the plan, which runs throughout May and June, includes providing specific information on the number of flights, ticketing, destinations and connections.

    Specific information is still being worked out between RegionsAir and Continental, Caldwell said.

    "Continental has accepted our deal, but there are a few financial hurdles to overcome in our code-sharing agreement (the network of connecting flights)," he said.

    "We do not have a definite time at which the public can start booking flights, but we are confident that will be about April 1 -- the same time the marketing campaign kicks off."

    Reservations can be made online, by telephone or in person after that time.

    The marketing plan also involves airports in Parkersburg and Clarksburg, which will become part of the Continental connection.

    All three airports will spend about $70,000 to promote the flights.

    The U.S. Department of Transportation authorized the funding to the airports as part of a start-up grant.

    In other news, the Federal Aviation Administration has approved all maintenance service manuals for the new 34-seat Saab 340 aircraft, and pilot/aircrew training has been completed at New York's LaGuardia International Airport.

    The new, federally subsidized air service came through the DOT's Essential Air Service program.

    The program, which provides subsidies to air carriers to offer service at small airports, was created as a safety net to shield small cities and their airports from the destabilizing effects of airline deregulation.