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High-tech company expands downtown
Folgers coffee perks up Smucker earnings
Region's stocking full of ideas for those on the prowl for holiday gifts
Ohio sues credit-rating companies
Study tracks newspaper, online readership
Michelin chief says revenue won't increase
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
NFL star Chris Spielman's wife loses cancer battle
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
College student mistaken for deer, shot to death
Man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face
Retired firefighter who broke color barrier among those being honored
Angel Food Ministries helps stretch grocery dollars
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
For your Saturday entertainment …
Akron Zips:
Two blowouts, one night
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Holmgren expresses interest in Browns position
Kent State Sports:
Singletary update
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Indiana Pacers – Here’s to LBJ and Free Throws
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Bowling season starts today
All Da King's Men:
Headed For Disaster
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Federal Judge Declares DOMA Unconstitutional
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
By Betty Lin-Fisher
Beacon Journal staff writer
POSTED: 06:32 p.m. EST, Nov 04, 2009
Displaced Cheeseheads and others wanting to head west, rejoice: after the new year, you'll be able to fly directly from the former tire capital of the world to the former beer capital of the world.
AirTran Airways on Wednesday named Akron-Canton Airport as one of six cities that will have new nonstop service to Milwaukee. The others: Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Des Moines and Omaha. Beginning Jan. 5, there will be three nonstop flights to Milwaukee from Akron.
The new service isn't because enough Buckeyes are desperate to fly to Wisconsin to fill three flights a day. But Wisconsin is becoming more of a western hub for AirTran for travelers to connect to 56 other destinations, said Kevin Healy, senior vice president of marketing and planning for AirTran.
Akron is among the first airports to get the new service because of the strong airport team and ''the support we've gotten from Northeast Ohio,'' said Healy.
From Milwaukee, travelers can connect to 36 AirTran destinations and about 20 places for regional carrier SkyWest Airlines, which has entered into a partnership with AirTran to operate 50-seat jets from the six cities to Milwaukee, said Healy. Travelers can still book their flights on AirTran's Web site or through their normal reservation methods with AirTran to fly on SkyWest and earn AirTran frequent flier miles.
The flights are convenient to get to northern Illinois and will allow for travelers to connect to other destinations such as Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix and San Francisco, said Healy.
The combination of all of the possible destinations builds more choices for travelers, he said.
AirTran's major hub is Atlanta, but many of the other cities, including Milwaukee, Orlando and Baltimore, have a lot of connecting AirTran flights, he said.
Milwaukee was next on Akron-Canton Airport's wish list of destinations, since it opens travel to western cities that can be added to Frontier Airlines' service to Denver and destinations west from the airport, said Kristie Van Auken, senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer of Akron-Canton.
Airport officials have been talking to AirTran for the last 12 months, but were ''pleasantly thrilled'' when they received the news on Wednesday that the airport would get three new nonstop flights in January. This will be the first time the airport has offered nonstop service to Milwaukee, she said.
Flight times were not immediately available, nor were fares. Healy said AirTran fares are usually low and that there was not an introductory price for the new flight, but AirTran could offer discounts.
Van Auken said there are some flights to Milwaukee from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, but they are costly.
''That's the good news for us. When AirTran comes in, they slash the fares,'' which makes a destination more affordable, she said.
Travelers flying out of Akron-Canton Airport have used SkyWest planes before since the regional carrier has had some other partnerships with other airlines, most recently United. But SkyWest doesn't currently fly out of Akron-Canton.
AirTran this week is also starting back two popular Florida seasonal nonstop flights for snowbirds. Service to Fort Lauderdale started Wednesday after a three-year hiatus and nonstop service to Fort Myers will begin today.
There will be one flight per day to Fort Lauderdale four days a week. Fort Myers service will start with a flight five days a week, but will move to a flight a day seven days a week in two weeks, said Van Auken.
The addition of the seasonal Florida destinations gives AirTran 11 daily flights a day to seven destinations. With the addition in January of Milwaukee, that will be 14 daily flights to eight destinations.
The airport has five airlines with about 40 daily departures.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at
330-996-3724 or blinfisher@
thebeaconjournal.com.
Displaced Cheeseheads and others wanting to head west, rejoice: after the new year, you'll be able to fly directly from the former tire capital of the world to the former beer capital of the world.
AirTran Airways on Wednesday named Akron-Canton Airport as one of six cities that will have new nonstop service to Milwaukee. The others: Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Des Moines and Omaha. Beginning Jan. 5, there will be three nonstop flights to Milwaukee from Akron.
The new service isn't because enough Buckeyes are desperate to fly to Wisconsin to fill three flights a day. But Wisconsin is becoming more of a western hub for AirTran for travelers to connect to 56 other destinations, said Kevin Healy, senior vice president of marketing and planning for AirTran.
Akron is among the first airports to get the new service because of the strong airport team and ''the support we've gotten from Northeast Ohio,'' said Healy.
From Milwaukee, travelers can connect to 36 AirTran destinations and about 20 places for regional carrier SkyWest Airlines, which has entered into a partnership with AirTran to operate 50-seat jets from the six cities to Milwaukee, said Healy. Travelers can still book their flights on AirTran's Web site or through their normal reservation methods with AirTran to fly on SkyWest and earn AirTran frequent flier miles.
The flights are convenient to get to northern Illinois and will allow for travelers to connect to other destinations such as Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix and San Francisco, said Healy.
The combination of all of the possible destinations builds more choices for travelers, he said.
AirTran's major hub is Atlanta, but many of the other cities, including Milwaukee, Orlando and Baltimore, have a lot of connecting AirTran flights, he said.
Milwaukee was next on Akron-Canton Airport's wish list of destinations, since it opens travel to western cities that can be added to Frontier Airlines' service to Denver and destinations west from the airport, said Kristie Van Auken, senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer of Akron-Canton.
Airport officials have been talking to AirTran for the last 12 months, but were ''pleasantly thrilled'' when they received the news on Wednesday that the airport would get three new nonstop flights in January. This will be the first time the airport has offered nonstop service to Milwaukee, she said.
Flight times were not immediately available, nor were fares. Healy said AirTran fares are usually low and that there was not an introductory price for the new flight, but AirTran could offer discounts.
Van Auken said there are some flights to Milwaukee from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, but they are costly.
''That's the good news for us. When AirTran comes in, they slash the fares,'' which makes a destination more affordable, she said.
Travelers flying out of Akron-Canton Airport have used SkyWest planes before since the regional carrier has had some other partnerships with other airlines, most recently United. But SkyWest doesn't currently fly out of Akron-Canton.
AirTran this week is also starting back two popular Florida seasonal nonstop flights for snowbirds. Service to Fort Lauderdale started Wednesday after a three-year hiatus and nonstop service to Fort Myers will begin today.
There will be one flight per day to Fort Lauderdale four days a week. Fort Myers service will start with a flight five days a week, but will move to a flight a day seven days a week in two weeks, said Van Auken.
The addition of the seasonal Florida destinations gives AirTran 11 daily flights a day to seven destinations. With the addition in January of Milwaukee, that will be 14 daily flights to eight destinations.
The airport has five airlines with about 40 daily departures.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at
330-996-3724 or blinfisher@
thebeaconjournal.com.
Betty, it's AirTran not AirTrain.
Betty got AirTran correct in the article. It's someone else in the editorial staff (who should know better) that writes the headlines.
That's our Beacon!
Thanks for pointing out the error, we've corrected it.
