LATROBE, Pa. -- With a national airline bringing in more traffic to the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, the Westmoreland County Airport Authority plans on spending more than 40 times what it did previously to advertise the airport.
Advertising the airport and Northwest Airlines' service to Detroit Metropolitan Airport has already cost almost $247,000 this year, airport Manager Gabe Monzo said. The authority previously spent about $6,000 on marketing the airport, about 35 miles east of Pittsburgh.
Passenger traffic steadily increased after Northwest began flights out of the Unity Township airport in April. That month, 656 passengers flew from the airport to Detroit. In May, there were 908; in June, 1,230, and in July, 1,333.
Last year, the authority agreed to spend $700,000 toward marketing and revenue guarantees. A U.S. Department of Transportation Community Air Development grant provided $600,000; the authority agreed to pay the rest.
County officials hope the advertising blitz on television, radio and print media also will lure tourists to the Laurel Highlands.
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