CHARLESTON, W.Va. — On the same day Yeager Airport’s finance committee approved its budget for next fiscal year, the airport announced a new flight to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD).
Officials from Yeager Airport said on Friday that starting September 7, American Airlines passengers at the airport will be able to travel to ORD daily.
Dominique Ranieri, the Director of Marketing at Yeager Airport said this will be the fourth flight at the facility to fly to Chicago but the second airline, so it will provide airfare competition.
“We currently have three United flights a day to Chicago so the American edition will provide some fare competition, which is always great for our passengers,” she said.
From Yeager Airport through American Airlines, passengers can travel nonstop flights to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
According to a release, Yeager Airport has experienced a 6.5-percent increase in enplanements in 2018 and has already seen an 8-percent increase thus far in 2019.
Yeager Airport Director Terry Sayre said on Friday this addition will have a huge impact.
“You’re going to see the Capitol Jet Center sell more fuel, you’re going to see more employment,” he said. “It’s also going to help people get to destinations in the western part of the country a lot easier.”
Sayre was also positive on Friday about the 2020 budget approved by the airport’s finance committee.
The body voted to push it through to the airport’s board for final approval at its next meeting.
“Revenues are almost $14 million,” Sayre said detailing the budget. “The AIP matching fund is over $2million, the GA Escrow is around $400,000, the Infrastructure & Capital Fund is about $1.7 million, and the PFC projects is about $8 million.”
The total operating and non-operating revenue totals just over $24.5 million.
Sayre said one of the bigger changes to the budget in 2020 from past years is the addition of staff, which he called a great thing as numbers are up across the airport.
“We are putting some more people back in the budget,” he said. “The last three or four years we have had to cut all the time. We are adding three new positions this year.”
Those positions include a police officer, maintenance worker, and addition in management.
The budget is up for final approval from the board on May 22.
Tickets for the flight to Chicago can purchase on the American Airlines website and all flight information can be found on Yeager Airport’s website.