CAA: GA News, "Visitors get first impression of new Northwest Alabama terminal"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Friday, October 25, 2002
  
Visitors get first impression of new terminal
By Bernie Delinski
The Northwest Alabama Times Daily


MUSCLE SHOALS - Northwest Alabama Regional Airport officials try to
provide visitors with a first impression worthy of the Shoals.

That goal was given a hefty hand Thursday when the renovated airport
terminal officially opened. "We had a nice facility out here that was
underutilized," said Rick Elliott, vice chairman of the airport
authority.

"Aviation is a niche market," Elliott said. "In the past, we've
underserved the general aviation market. We have a lot of private planes
come in."

Officials cut the ribbon Thursday, opening the facilities in the
terminal. "This is a modern facility that will give a good first
impression of the area," airport Director John Lehrter said.

Pilots now walk directly off the runway into the airport's flight
service center. It includes crew rooms, conference rooms, vending
facilities and a passenger lounge.

The station also has a monitor that shows a radar with current weather
conditions. "The pilots can call up any specific area in the nation,"
Lehrter said. The main part of the center is 45-by-65-feet.

A secretary is there, providing support for work such as faxing, typing
and other correspondence, Lehrter said.

The metal detector and boarding area have been moved alongside the
ticket counter, so passengers have to walk only a few feet after getting
a ticket, Lehrter said.

The detector is sensitive enough to detect one-billionth of a gram of
explosive material, Lehrter said.

Officials plan to replace the carpet in the concourse with a more rugged
surface, Lehrter said.

Northwest Airlink has two daily flights in and out of the airport. But
private planes and jets regularly use the airport, as well.

Some days go by without any using the airport, while several come in on
other days. Often, these are business and industry officials, some who
are considering the Shoals as a place to do business or open a plant.

Lehrter already has a policy of literally rolling out the red carpet for
private jets. A red carpet in the corner of a small office is rolled out
at the landing of the steps leading off the plane. 

 It's all part of making that first impression memorable. Elliott said
if the airport ever lost commercial service, measures such as the new
flight service office would be ways to keep the airport viable.

Elliott said the Shoals' location is an advantage, because it is a good
stopping point between flights. He said, for example, someone flying a
private jet from Baltimore to Houston might choose to stop here for a
break, rather than in Nashville, Tenn. They can taxi around more easily
than in Nashville's airport and have less air traffic to worry about
here, he said.

Airport officials ultimately want to open an industrial park on airport
property near the runway, Lehrter said. "We have the opportunity to
target industries that are not road dependent, so a lot of their
transports are by air," Elliott said. "The infrastructure and
underpinning are here, and the commitment is here."


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