New air service to Florida from Plattsburgh

Local News

Related Photos

P-R File Photo

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.

comments powered by Disqus

November 18, 2009

By JOE LoTEMPLIO The Press Republican Wed Nov 18, 2009, 11:06 PM EST

PLATTSBURGH — Non-stop air service from Plattsburgh International Airport to Punta Gorda, Fla., will begin this weekend.

Direct Air will offer flights from Plattsburgh to Punta Gorda, which is halfway between Fort Myers and Sarasota on Florida's southwest coast, from Saturday, Nov. 21, through April 17, 2010.

Flights will be offered with rates beginning at $99 each way, with an upgrade to first-class seats available for $100 each way on Direct Air's MD83 and 737-400 aircraft.

Tickets may be purchased by going to www.visitdirectair.com or by calling toll-free 877-432-DIRECT (3473).

Plattsburgh International Airport opened in the summer of 2007 on the flight line of the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base.

Since then, it has attracted thousands of travelers from northern New York, Vermont and southern Quebec boarding flights to Florida and South Carolina.

"We are committed and focused to work together with the communities to promote the airports in a manner that maximizes its future potential to generate economic growth and opportunity," Direct Air President and Managing Partner Ed Warneck said.

"This new air service links two great tourist destinations and will open up a whole range of great opportunities to market our region's tourism assets to a new customer base."

Direct Air, based in Myrtle Beach, S.C., offered Plattsburgh-to-Punta Gorda service in December 2008 with a stop in Myrtle Beach.

"We are extremely pleased that Direct Air will be providing non-stop service to Punta Gorda," said Rodney Brown, Clinton County's deputy administrator.

"Flights from Plattsburgh International Airport to Florida have proven highly successful, and I am confident that Direct Air flights to the Punta Gorda/Fort Myers area will be received by the traveling public just as enthusiastically."

Garry Douglas, president of the Plattsburgh/North Country Chamber of Commerce, said the new service should be popular among Canadians.

"This marks another step forward for Plattsburgh International Airport, adding yet another stop destination of interest to people in northern New York, Quebec and Vermont," Douglas said.

"It also further boosts our emerging role as the sun-and-fun airport for our neighbors in Montreal, with many having asked for this kind of service to southwest Florida."

E-mail Joe LoTemplio at: jlotemplio@pressrepublican.com