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More Improvements Planned for Syracuse's Hancock Airport

John Smith
/
WAER News

Better parking, flights to more cities, and a facelift for the front of Hancock International Airport highlight the transportation hub's future goals.  The Syracuse Regional Airport Authority issued its annual report Friday.  

  Executive Director Christina Callahan looked back on improved concessions, featuring local beers and food products, and improving the parking garage.  Travelers will also be able to sign up for TSA pre-check starting in October.  Now Callahan is ready to make a few other visible upgrades.

"When you walk in the front door, we want people to say, 'wow, this place has really changed.'  So we're looking forward to remodeling the facade of the airport, the terminal facade, installing new ticket counters, we're just giving the entire airport a facelift."

She also plans to examine whether parking could be easier and more efficient for travelers looking ahead.  Callahan notes the airlines at Hancock fly direct to 17 destinations out of Syracuse, with connections to just about anywhere else.  But she wants to be more competitive...and knows she's fighting for flights with other medium-sized cities.

"Knocking on the airlines door and asking for more service.  We need to think strategically how do we set ourselves apart from the competition.  And we think in order to do that, we need to be forward thinking, business focused, and treat the airport like a business."

Callahan says an improved airport that serves travelers better helps regional businesses and tourism.

Credit John Smith / WAER News
/
WAER News
Members of the regional airport authority hold their annual meeting Friday. Executive Director Christina Callahan is at far left, and Board Chairman William Fisher is at far right.

Chris Bolt, Ed.D. has proudly been covering the Central New York community and mentoring students for more than 30 years. His career in public media started as a student volunteer, then as a reporter/producer. He has been the news director for WAER since 1995. Dedicated to keeping local news coverage alive, Chris also has a passion for education, having trained, mentored and provided a platform for growth to more than a thousand students. Career highlights include having work appear on NPR, CBS, ABC and other news networks, winning numerous local and state journalism awards.
John Smith has been waking up WAER listeners for a long time as our Local Co-Host of Morning Edition with timely news and information, working alongside student Sportscasters from the Newhouse School.
Scott Willis covers politics, local government, transportation, and arts and culture for WAER. He came to Syracuse from Detroit in 2001, where he began his career in radio as an intern and freelance reporter. Scott is honored and privileged to bring the day’s news and in-depth feature reporting to WAER’s dedicated and generous listeners. You can find him on twitter @swillisWAER and email him at srwillis@syr.edu.