Northwest Indiana Discussion

http://www.garychicagoairport.com/

What is your opinion on the airport

ATA AIRLINES: Flights planned for Gary/Chicago airport







December 3, 2004






ATA Airlines has reached an agreement in principle to fly out of Gary/Chicago International Airport. Forced to cease operations out of Midway, the deal to take four flights a day in and out of Gary would give the financially strapped airline access to the Chicago area. All flights would go to Indianapolis, for connections to 11 destinations, ranging from New York to Florida to San Francisco. The airline plans to operate 34-seat Saab propeller aircraft from the Gary airport, said airport director Paul Karas. Final talks are pending and could be affected by ATA's ongoing bankruptcy proceedings. ATA filed for bankruptcy in October, saying that it was selling most of its Chicago operations to low-cost carrier AirTran Airways. As part of the $87.6 million deal, AirTran would assume ATA's 14 gates at Midway. In a recent filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Indianapolis, the City of Chicago said any deal that includes the gates rights needs the city's OK.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... siness-hed






Indianapolis, December 3 - ATA Airlines plans to add four flights a day from Indianapolis to Gary/Chicago International Airport.

The airport announced the new service yesterday. It helps to the fill the void left when Southeast Airlines shut down earlier this week.

The flights are scheduled to begin January 11th and will cost 49 dollars one way.

ATA announced similar agreements with Evansville, South Bend and Fort Wayne on Wednesday.

Southeast Airlines had served the Gary airport since February before abruptly closing nationwide on Tuesday in large part because of rising fuel costs.

ATA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October and is trying to sell the gates it uses for its hub at Chicago's Midway International Airport. But the new Indiana flights appear to fit its plan to emerge as a smaller airline centered in Indianapolis.


http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=2644085











The Senior Conservative

More Peotone Pork

By Dick O'Connor

There are several points to be made here, and at the same time it must be pointed out to the nation's air travelers the importance of the expansion of air services at Chicago, in order to relieve the delays and cancellations that were experienced over the past year. And it is a very confusing situation, politically. We have a Democratic Mayor and a Republican Governor who both want to keep any expansion in the state of Illinois.

However, the Governor wants a completely new airport built at Peotone, roughly 40 miles away from the Loop. The revenue from this airport would remain in the state of Illinois, but would not be controlled by the City of Chicago. This is not what the mayor wants. He wants to reconfigure O’Hare field to allow two more runways, thus keeping the revenue of the additional traffic in the coffers of City Hall. It must be noted that there are considerable objection to this plan from the residents around O'Hare who are already disturbed by the noise and kerosene haze of the jet engines. It should also be noted that the Governor, George Ryan, has very poor voter support, and, like Bill Clinton, would like to leave a legacy to help erase his poor standing. The new airport he favors could be named the George Ryan airport, you know.

Next factor in the equation concerns the two United States Senators. Deck Durbin (D) favors Mayor Dayley's (D) choice for expansion at O'Hare. Peter Fitzgerald (R) favors the Republicans Governor's choice of Peotone. Now comes a third senator who does not belong to Illinois, Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) stating that we must go along with the O'Hare plan or he will organize Congress to force the plan on the people of Illinois. Sure he will! He will find that there will be considerable opposition to such a measure. Why should we even give him the time of day?

None of these big spenders will talk about a third airport that is up and running, that is 35 miles from the Loop (the same time frame as Midway), has a longer primary runway than Midway, has a plan before the FAA to increase the primary from 7000 feet to 8900 feet, cashable of handling all the plane types that use Midway, and, with the proposed extension, capable of handling all the jets except the true wide-bodies (747s' and AirBus 300s'). Of course, as a reliever airport, the wide-bodies would not be using this type of facility anyway. There is room for expansion at this airport to have a second parallel primary runway plus room for a second crosswind runway. Let me introduce you to the Gary-Chicago airport. It is here and now. All types of aircraft that currently use Midway could start tomorrow at Gary, with FAA permission. It would not require years to rebuild runways. It would not require a whole new airport as Peotone would. There is a large labor and personnel services pool of workers who would welcome the new source of jobs with no relocation of the citizens. The good citizens of Indiana would finance any improvements and would deserve the revenue.

Gary-Chicago has only one drawback. That is the fact that no Illinois politician, Governor or Mayor would be calling the shots, letting the construction contracts, collecting bribes, "stroking" friends and insiders, gathering in the revenue, and acting Big Dog. No Illinois taxpayers would be financing bonds and no taxes would be collected from Illinoisians. No revenue would be received by the state of Illinois, but maybe that is all right. After all, we have not invested anything. Politicians like to spend money. Our money. Gary-Chicago air port leaves them out in the cold.

Ain't that nice?



http://www.888webtoday.com



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The naysayers seem to think they can do a better job of running this airport .

I think it would look like the movie Soul Plane if it was left up to them.

Gary airport’s future has King on offensive
Jan. 8, 2005

By Jim Stinson / Post-Tribune staff writer



INDIANAPOLIS —Gary Mayor Scott King has gone on the offensive against possible plans to give control of the city’s airport to a Northwest Indiana board.

King is concerned about discussion that the General Assembly and Gov. Mitch Daniels will pass a bill that puts the airport in the hands of a regional board that would include officials from Lake, LaPorte and Porter counties. King has called for a meeting of Northwest Indiana county, city and town leaders within the next 10 days.

“It is absolutely ridiculous and a slap in the face of taxpayers,” King said.

He said he wants to make sure Gary taxpayers don’t get too little in return.

“There is an existing value to the airport,” said King, who proposes letting Gary keep a 51 percent interest in the airport.

No such bill has been proposed yet, but state Rep. Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville, said a general Northwest Indiana transportation bill will be introduced next week.

Dobis did indicate the bill would involve a funding mechanism and “another entity” to run the airport.

Dobis, who would not give details on the bill, seems prepared for controversy — and compromise.

“There will be some people that don’t like it,” said Dobis. “I’m very flexible on how this is approached.”

Makeup of the airport board has been discussed for 10 years, King said, and adding non-Gary members has been among ideas he has discussed.

But King said Friday that Gary taxpayers helped build and nurture the airport, and shouldn’t have their contribution ignored.

State Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, said a bill’s proposal to make the board regional — and to allow regional funding — could be how Daniels wants the airport funded.

During the campaign, Daniels expressed support for expanding the airport.

Dobis said he hopes the bill gives Daniels something about the airport to ponder.

http://www.post-trib.com/cgi-bin/pto-st ... ws_04.html

This project was always to big for the city of Gary!

The rest of the region has been enjoying the benefits of the airport wihout contributing anything.

If my understanding is correct they will be taxed for it when they are put on the board.

I think a new airport would be a big positive for the region with very few negatives. I don't think it will happen though because Illinois does not want to let go of the revenue that the airports generate.

For it to be successful Gary would have to give up control to a more regional entity.

i used that airport before. it wasnt all that great of an experience. but that is more of the airlines fault.

The Gary/Chicago International Airport has the potential to be a great economic engine for the entire NW Indiana region.

For this to happen we must find a way to:

1. Get the Region behind the effort

2. Get the State behind the effort

3. Get Lugar and Bayh behind the effort

Expanding Gary makes enough sense that anyone who is objective will see it as a vastly better option than building Peotone.

But, who ever said that government is objective?

http://www.hootersair.com/

Has anyone flown Hooters Air?