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Jun. 4--CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Thanks to home-grown millionaire Jim Justice's purchase of The Greenbrier resort last year and a more recent allocation of federal stimulus funds, Greenbrier Valley Airport finds itself in a growth spurt that couldn't have been predicted two years ago.
"It's been such a bright-lights story," said airport manager Jerry O'Sullivan. "A couple of years ago, our business was down, and The Greenbrier was in the middle of a labor dispute," making the outlook for the airport growth murky.
Now, a $4 million renovation of the Lewisburg airport's terminal building is 90 percent complete and nonstop, year-round air service to New York and Atlanta will begin next week -- in time for the Greenbrier Classic PGA tournament and the opening of the resort's new $40 million casino.
"We're basically rebuilding the whole place," O'Sullivan said of the terminal building project. "We're getting a new exterior, a new roof, a tiled interior, a new air-conditioning system and new bathrooms, state-of-the art lighting and doubling the size of our parking lot. I think it will be a real showplace."
The passenger terminal at Lewisburg was built in 1968 and added onto in 1984. Most of the terminal renovation is being paid for with federal stimulus funds.
As of Thursday, the airport was offering only two daily flights -- to Cleveland aboard 19-seat, propeller-driven commuter aircraft. Starting next Thursday, though, Delta will inaugurate new daily nonstop service to New York's LaGuardia International Airport and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport aboard 50-seat regional jets.
The New York flights will depart Lewisburg at 3:59 p.m. and arrive at LaGuardia at 5:44 p.m. Inbound flights from New York will leave LaGuardia at 1:39 p.m. and arrive in Lewisburg at 3:29 p.m. The new southbound flights depart Greenbrier Valley at 12:45 p.m. and arrive in Atlanta at 2:10 p.m. Flights leave Atlanta at 10:52 a.m. and arrive in Lewisburg at 12:20 p.m.
On Thursday, roundtrip fares to New York were available for $218, while roundtrip flights to Atlanta were selling for $258.
Delta is offering the new flights through a revenue guarantee agreement with The Greenbrier.
"The hotel has been packed, and the new flights will help it stay that way," said O'Sullivan. "It will also have a huge impact on Lewisburg and Greenbrier County. With direct access from hub airports in New York and Atlanta, you can get here from anywhere. We're no longer isolated. And people coming here to go to the hotel will see that the Greenbrier Valley is also a fantastic place in which to live."
Justice's ownership of The Greenbrier and his willingness to pump money into the resort and add new amenities "has caused so many good things to happen," O'Sullivan said. "We lost a lot of big conventions, which is where we make a lot of our money through jet fuel sales, before he bought the hotel. I'm sure we'll see them coming back."
A celebration to usher in the new Atlanta and New York air service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday in the airport's passenger terminal. The public is invited.
Reach Rick Steelhammer at [email protected] or 304-348-5169.
