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GTRA adds flights to Memphis |
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Wednesday, 28 January 2009 |
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 By PAUL SIMS
Starkville Daily News
Air travelers will again be able to reach Memphis, Tenn. from Golden Triangle Regional Airport, beginning in May, and fly to locations in the western United States and other destinations.
GTRA officials announced Tuesday that Delta Airlines will provide two daily – a total of four – flights to and from Memphis starting May 4.
“I love to go west to go west and not go east to go west,” Starkville Mayor Dan Camp said after the announcement. Currently, GTRA passengers fly to and from Atlanta, Ga., which lies to the east.
The airport’s previous service to Memphis ended in June 2003.
GTRA Executive Director Mike Hainsey says GTRA’s waiting area will undergo a $1 million expansion adding 6,000 square feet of space and expanding the seating capacity from 58 to 180. The expanded area will include rest rooms and a vending area. Officials expect the work to start this summer and take about six months to compete, Hainsey said.
The airport will continue to offer service to and from Atlanta, with four flights daily.
A Saab 340, 32-passenger aircraft will ferry passengers to and from Memphis.
“It means greater access,” said Jon Maynard, president and CEO of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership. The moves opens new markets for economic development and ease of access to the West Coast, Maynard said.
“It’s also a great indicator of the success the Golden Triangle is demonstrating,” Maynard said.
The added service will also have an impact on Mississippi State University, located adjacent to Starkville.
“The opportunity to fly to Memphis from the Golden Triangle region is yet another step recognizing the growing economy of this region of Mississippi. For businesses and faculty members who need to travel to the western part of the United States, the direct flights to Memphis will significantly reduce travel time and assist us in the development of partnerships,” said Dr. Kirk Schulz, MSU’s vice president for research and economic development.
Historically, there have been limitations in flying only to Atlanta, said Dr. Bill Kibler, vice president of student affairs.
“Atlanta’s a great airport and you can go almost anywhere,” he said. However, “flying first to Atlanta to go west is very inconvenient,” Kibler said.
The option to fly to Memphis “opens up a lot of travel opportunities probably from a convenience and a cost standpoint for students, faculty and staff,” said Kibler.
The idea that anyone to traveling to MSU could come to a major airport like Memphis, “make a connection and come right into GTR is tremendous,” Kibler said. “It’s going to make travel going out of and coming into the Mississippi State community so much easier.”
GTRA is located almost equidistant to Columbus, Starkville and West Point. It is located in western Lowndes County just south of U.S. Highway 82.
The airport is the epicenter of recent economic development in the region.
Since 2004, American Eurocopter, Aurora Flight Sciences, PACCAR, Severstal Columbus (formerly known as SeverCorr) and Stark Aerospace have all selected sites to house operations on or near airport property.
Together, they represent a minimum investment of $1.2 billion and at least 1,000 newly-created jobs.
Several of these companies either have operations or headquarters overseas.
International travel is an attractive feature for airlines.
“International flights have driven the focus of the U.S. airline business. GTRA has a significant amount of international traffic given the companies that are here,” said Michael Doil, a specialist with Delta Airlines.
Hainsey has previously mentioned that three of GTRA’s top 10 destinations are in Germany.
“You have a set of unique origins and destinations for a community this size,” Doil said.
The new connection to Memphis will be of interest to companies traveling both within the United States and abroad, officials said.
PACCAR officials are very interested in the service from Memphis to Amsterdam, Hainsey has previously said.
The company operates a plant in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Additionally, headquarters for PACCAR and Weyerhaeuser are near Seattle, Wash.; American Eurocopter’s other U.S. operation is near Dallas, Texas and Baldor — a company with operations in Columbus — is headquartered in Fort Smith, Ark., said Joe Higgins, CEO of the Columbus-Lowndes Development Link.
These operations are all west of Mississippi.
“Hopefully this will give them an option to fly from their headquarters to here,” Higgins said.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 29 January 2009 )
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