Airline merger could boost airport

Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport officials are hopeful the latest merger between legacy airlines will bring good news to travelers who seek more ways to get to the New York City area.

Airport director Rick Piccolo says he has spoken with representatives at Continental Airlines several times in the past month about restarting nonstop service to Newark, N.J. Continental and United Airlines announced a merger May 3.

“Those conversations were very positive,” Piccolo told a crowd of about 200 at a recent Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance luncheon. Piccolo also told the audience about the airport's latest flight coup: Daily nonstop service to Boston on JetBlue Airlines. Moreover, the airport has since announced new nonstop service to Milwaukee on AirTran Airways.

Continental flew nonstop flights between Newark and Sarasota-Bradenton until September 2008 when it cancelled the run due to high fuel costs. Still, the flights were some of the most popular and populated ones at the airport.

If the Newark flights do return it would be a footnote on one of the industry's quirks. Turns out even when Continental pulled out of SRQ it was still on the hook for its gate and ticket-counter lease, which is worth $250,000 a year to the airport. The five-year lease runs through 2013, so the airport will continue to be paid even if the flights don't come back.