What started out as potentially bad news for the North Central West Virginia Airport has turned into good new for destination travelers. Actually, NCWV Airport Director Rick Rock called it great news.

 

“As we get into June, our flights to Myrtle Beach will eventually go to five days a week,” said Rock. “They just sprang that on us, even though we’ve always asked to add to the flights, when we talked to them about the new flight to Chicago.”

 

That was the issue some may view as potentially bad news. Allegiant recently announced a new flight service from Bridgeport to Chicago’s Midway Airport. The flight was not doing well, so Rock approached the airline about what could be done.

 

“We pointed out that we needed to get out there and put marketing dollars toward it to make it work or go in a different direction,” said Rock. “What happened was the flight was eliminated, but they offered us more flights and works out much better because we still have flights to Chicago.”

 

Rock is correct. The NCWV Airport offers daily flights already to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport as part of its daily jet flight service.  

 

Summer service to Myrtle will begin May 28 with a few days a week and then gradually go to five days a week in June. The five days are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, said Rock, and will continue until the service ends in mid-August.

 

“We’re anticipating good and steady numbers and hope, as they always, the public supports it, so we’ll continue to get five days a week,” said Rock.

 

That was not the only good news to come out of Rock’s discussion with Allegiant. The highly popular destination flight to Orlando that has operated for usually a little less than two months annually since its inception and will now be year-round.

 

“Typically, the flight service would end this year on August 15 and resume on October 1,” said Rock. “Another thing we’ve asked for they just sprang on us, and there are no complaints here.

 

Rock said those flights will be three days a week during the peak summer months and then going back to two flights weekly during the non-summer months.

 

As for the United flights that go daily to Chicago and Washington, D.C., Rock said those are showing numbers increasing after things bottomed out during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

“United is up quite a bit over the previous months,” said Rock. “I think people are comfortable with vaccinations and with the airlines still requiring masks during flights and people still wearing them in the terminal.

 

“I think what this shows is that going through what most will consider a defining point of time in our lifetimes, we’ve managed to build on a foundation that was put in place prior to this pandemic,” Rock continued. “It certainly is making the future look bright.”

 

For flight information and times, visit www.flyckb.com. You can call the airport at 304-842-3400.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows an Allegiant Flight at the NCWV Airport. Bottom photo is of Airport Director Rick Rock.