MARTINSBURG, Pa. (WTAJ) — The Altoona-Blair County Airport celebrated a new addition to the airport on Wednesday with the Blair County Chamber of Commerce .
The Blair County Chamber of Commerce held a news conference and ribbon cutting to announce details of its daily 30-passenger jet service to Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in North Carolina.
The new service started on Oct. 1, and the contract will continue through Sept. 2028, replacing the current flights to Philadelphia International Airport .
“70 to 80% of our passengers are connecting to other destinations. So Charlotte is a better airport for connecting to other destinations. So even though a flight just terminating in Philadelphia is no longer an option, if you’re flying beyond that, which the vast majority of our passengers are, Charlotte offers a much better opportunity for connections,” Tracy Plessinger, Manager of the Altoona-Blair County Airport said.
According to a press release, the move provides passengers with more options to connect to Contour’s interline partner, American Airlines, which offers around seven hundred flights
per day out of Charlotte.
There will be early morning flights from Altoona, as well as an evening return flight, which will provide greater reliability and flexibility for any local travelers.
Bishop McCort partners with Aviation leaders to teach flight “Charlotte is a much bigger hub for American Airlines and Philadelphia, meaning a wider array of destinations that are accessible with just a single connection. Obviously, Charlotte is perfectly suited for travel south, which is where we know a lot of folks in this area want to be headed,” CEO of Contour Aviation, Matt Chaifetz said.
The Airport Authority completed an application with the Federal Department of Transportation to allow for a $28 million, four-year funding agreement to provide daily non-stop service to the Charlotte, North Carolina-based airport with Contour Airlines.
Besides the new jet service, the airport will also be welcoming a local coffee shop that will serve passengers on the new early-morning flights and residents of the surrounding communities.
Coffee Coop operates in Bedford County as a coffee and beverage trailer. It will open its first brick-and-mortar location in the airport terminal before 2025.
“This was a great opportunity and I couldn’t pass it up. I’m so excited to be part of this community and to be joining the airport. But it is very exciting to add another county to our followers. And I’m very thankful for all of my customers that have been able to bring me this far,” Betsy Francke, Owner of Coffee Coop.
The owners of the new building will be from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. seven days a week.
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To book a flight from the Altoona-Blair County Airport to Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, visit their website .
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