FLINT, MI -- Bishop Airport officials pulled out all the stops, including a water cannon salute, to welcome the inaugural American Airlines flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Flint Wednesday, Sept. 4.

Dignitaries joined representatives of the airport and the airline to celebrate the new service -- two daily flights between the two cities -- that was originally announced in April.

Charlotte is American’s second-largest hub and the country’s sixth-busiest airport based on takeoffs and landings, and Bishop boosters are hoping fliers find it’s an excellent point to connect to the cities like Boston, Baltimore and Memphis as well as international flights to Barcelona, Dublin and Montego Bay.

“It’s a big, big win for us,” said Nino Sapone, interim Bishop Airport director. “We’ve been working hard with American to get this flight ... We look forward to more.”

Dale Morris, senior consultant in government affairs for American, said Bishop’s ability to gain a new route is significant considering the loss of service at most small- and medium-sized airports across the country in recent years.

“I want to underscore that it’s really tough in these times to get air service because there is a shortage of aircraft and pilots ... It speaks well of the Flint community to be able to get service twice daily, year-around ...,” Morris said.

Bishop is Michigan’s third-busiest airport based on passenger traffic, and it is providing American with incentives for adding the route as part of the airport’s airline recruitment program.

American will receive ground handling reimbursements, waived landing fees and marketing to support for the new flights on 44-seat regional jets.

Wednesday’s ceremony at the airport included comments from Sapone and Morris; Win Cooper, chairman of the Bishop Airport Authority; Flint Mayor Karen Weaver; Ted Henry, chairman of the Genesee County Board of Commissioners; Tim Herman, chief executive officer of the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce; David Coulter, Oakland County executive; and Cathy Gentry, director of business operations at Sloan Museum and Longway Planetarium.

The museum provided the airport with a John Zink Special stock car replica Wednesday, using it to escort the first American flight from Charlotte, the home of NASCAR.

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