Jet Service Given a Tryout at Lancaster Airport

They built it; now they're coming. Just four months after Lancaster Airport removed the ribon from its $22 million extended runway, a proportionally sized jet has been inked to use it.

Boscov's Travelcenter and Lancaster Air Service Task Force said last week a 137-passenger Southwest Airlines 737 plane will depart the airport Dec. 3 for Orlando, Fla., and return Dec. 9.

Though it's a one-shot deal now, airport officials, Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Boscov's say a steady schedule could be established as early as sometime next year. Marvin E. Miller Jr., Lancaster Airport Authority chairman, said there is a demand for the service.

"The airport has taken literally hundreds of requests per year for this type of service, and we look forward to working with Boscov's Travelcenter to promote usage of this extrordinary service," he said.

Tom Baldrige, chairman of the task force and presidnet of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce, applauded Boscov's for recognizing Lancaster's market potential.

"We greatly appreciate Boscov's confidence in our local marketplace and airport, and we hope that this will prove to be the first step in a new beginning for commercial air service in Lancaster," Baldrige said.

The 1,600-foot expansion of Runway 8-26 enables the airport to more safely accommodate large business jets and reduce noise pollution.

The $20 million-plus project was proposed 20 years ago. Work began in August 2003 and was completed in November.

The airport now complies with Federal Aviation Administration guidelines for runways used by corporate jets.

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