Grand opening planned at new Joplin airport terminal

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August 29, 2008

Anonymous The Joplin Globe Fri Aug 29, 2008, 09:05 PM CDT

By Debby Woodin

dwoodin@joplinglobe.com

Passenger flight service and the new terminal at the Joplin Regional Airport are both getting ready for takeoff.

An open house to show off the $15 million terminal, which replaces one built in 1948, is planned from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7.

City officials have asked U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt to help them dedicate the building in a ceremony planned for 2 p.m. that day. That’s because Blunt, and other state and federal officials, helped the city win grant money to fund 90 percent of the cost of construction of the terminal at 7331 N. Highway 43.

Visitors will find the building decorated with large photographs of a number of memorable moments at Joplin’s airports, including one formerly located on Seventh Street.

“They are poignant because they harken back to our aviation history,” said Brad Belk, director of the Joplin Museum Complex.

One depicts Sen. John F. Kennedy making a campaign speech Oct. 22, 1960, to 15,000 area residents who turned out on the airport tarmac.

Another depicts local children climbing aboard the Joplin Jalopy B-24 bomber on Aug. 11, 1946. The bomber was named after Joplin when the town raised $300,000 in war bonds, Belk said.

There is a series of photographs that shows the first air-mail delivery in Joplin.

In addition to the photo exhibit, the Arizona Wing of the Confederate Air Force will have a B-17 named “Sentimental Journey’’ on display at the airport starting Monday as part of the grand-opening celebration.

Rides in the plane will be available through Thursday at $425 per person. Passengers must be at least 18 years old. To make a reservation, dial (602) 448-9415. Information about the plane can be found on the Web at www.azcaf.org.

Stockam said the new terminal will be finished within budget even though fuel costs to operate the contractor’s heavy equipment went up $1.50 a gallon and the price of steel doubled during construction. Building the terminal started in 2005.

“There has been some challenges to get everything we needed within the budget, but we made adjustments where we could and the contractor worked with us,” Stockam said.

The new terminal will open for business on Monday, Sept. 8, the same day that Great Lakes Aviation will begin offering passenger flights to and from Kansas City.

“The exterior of the airport is not totally done, but the terminal will be useable,” Stockam said.

Great Lakes will hold a separate grand-opening celebration at a later date to allow celebration of the airport terminal to take place on its own, said Monica Taylor, director of sales and marketing for Great Lakes.

She said the airline will celebrate in September or in October, with the date to be announced later. She expects business to be brisk from the start.

“We are getting quite a few reservations,” she said. “We think Joplin is going to perform very well. We are excited to start the service to Kansas City and just can’t wait to be there.”

Mark Norton, general manager of Great Southern Travel Services, 515 E. Seventh St., said his business is seeing a demand for the Joplin flights.

People are booking Great Lakes flights not only because Joplin service is convenient, but the price makes it competitive with, or cheaper than, driving to other airports because of the price of gasoline, Norton said.

“We’re pretty excited about it actually,” he said. “I think the demand’s there. It will take time for people to get back in the habit of thinking Joplin again after the disruption in service.”

Joplin was served by Air Midwest, which pulled out earlier this year to be liquidated for financial reasons.

A 30-day advance fare can be booked for as low as $69 each way.

Taylor said Great Lakes airline has an agreement that allows passengers to book tickets to other destinations on United Airlines. Those tickets can be reserved on the Web at www.united.com. Reservations also may be made by dialing (800) 554-5111.

Stockam said Great Lakes employees recently trained at the Joplin airport. They will train at the airline’s Kansas City gate next week to be ready for the Sept. 8 launch.

Entrance to the new terminal is on Missouri Highway 43, about 11/2 miles north of the Stone’s Corner intersection.

Stockam said the old terminal building is to be remodeled and space rented in it for air-service businesses and a restaurant. He said work probably will not start for another year or so when funds can be made available for the project.

An open house was held Aug. 17 at the new $3.5 million FAA flight-control tower built at the airport. Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond was recognized Friday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony held for the tower for helping to arrange federal funds to pay for the project.

A study by the state of Missouri in 2005 on public airports in the state showed the Joplin airport and its affiliated businesses provide 256 jobs with a total payroll of $7.4 million a year. The study estimated the economic impact of the airport at $20.9 million a year.

Flight schedule

Great Lakes Aviation will have flights leaving Joplin at 9:28 a.m. Monday through Friday and at 5:13 p.m. Sunday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, there is a 10:38 a.m. flight. On Saturday alone, there will be a flight at 3:55 p.m. The flights take approximately 45 to 50 minutes. A third weekday flight will start sometime in October and a fourth flight is planned to start in November.