It's a big land for us. We're looking forward to it.
Terry Hart says the dialogue to bring United Airlines flights to Chattanooga started four years ago.
Hart, the CEO of the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, invited a couple of United planners to visit the city, stay a couple of days and see firsthand the growth going on. After followup discussions, United announced earlier this year it will launch new nonstop service out of Chattanooga. Starting in September, the carrier will begin flights to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and - for the first time in more than a dozen years - nonstop access into the New York City area with trips into Newark Liberty International Airport.
"We're excited about that opportunity to have United come here," Hart says, noting it will complement the carriers already at Lovell Field and give Chattanooga area air travelers entry points into six major airline hub cities.
For Hart, the new United flights beginning Sept. 7 are examples of providing customers with better service from the parking lot to the plane.
"We want to make sure [it's] a great experience and convenient," he says.
United will give Chattanooga fliers a third major piece when traveling in and out of the city. Already, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines each offer flights from Chattanooga along with low-cost carrier Allegiant Air's nonstops to Florida.
Hart says that in talks with Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce officials, he kept hearing "New York, New York, New York." With Chattanooga Airport's flying clientele 70 percent business customers, nonstops to the New York area was one of those missing parts, he says.
"It's a big land for us," the airport chief says. "We're looking forward to it."
Melissa Finch of Lookout Travel says the United service will give Chattanooga area travelers more choice in flying in and out of the city.
"There's not that much competition," she says. "Hopefully, United will give American competition."
American already has nonstop service between Chattanooga and Chicago.
Finch says that while nonstop flights are "always a good thing," she has clients who are "Delta die-hards" and use that carrier even though flights aren't always nonstops. Also, she says, some people prefer to fly directly into New York City and use LaGuardia Airport.
Hart says Newark has further flights to the Northeast and to Europe, while United offers key connections out of Chicago to Asia.
"It brings the Star Alliance to Chattanooga," he says about the agreements United has with other airlines worldwide. "That connectivity will be huge for us."
Frank Spillman, United's director of regional sales, said the airline is looking forward to the startup of service from Chattanooga to two of its largest hub airports.
"United Airlines wants to be the airline that customers in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia choose first when planning their business or leisure travel to Chicago and New York/Newark," he says.
Hart says it's vital Chattanooga area fliers use the new service "so we can show United they made the right choice, and the potential is there for future growth."
The airport CEO says that new air service is just one step officials have taken to bolster customer service at Lovell Field. The airport completed the biggest renovation of the passenger terminal in two decades a couple of years ago. The $7.2 million terminal revamp gave Lovell Field an improved front door for the city and came as passenger boardings jumped and set new records in back-to-back years.
"We had a building that opened in the early 1990s," Hart says. "It needed updating, the amenities for our customers. When we planned for it, we wanted to touch all the areas and add the things that improved the customer experience."
That included redoing restrooms, putting in EPB's ultra-fast Wifi network, and remaking the concession area both pre- and post-security, he says.
Hart says airport officials continue to look at ways to improve the customer experience in the terminal, noting that it has agreed to let Friends of the Library open an honor book store.
Parking is another area at the airport that has seen upgrades and more are planned. The airport added 300 parking spaces to accommodate the growing numbers of fliers. In addition, it has installed canopies in its lots. In the future, airport officials are looking at adding more parking off Airport Road that is currently used for overflows.
In addition, the airport has installed new parking revenue control equipment in its lots and made available an app by which customers can pay by use of their smartphones. Additionally, on the airfield side of the security checkpoint, officials recently purchased two new jet bridges to connect planes with the terminal and keep fliers out of the elements when boarding and departing flights.
"It's all about conveniences," Hart says.
For customers renting cars at the airport, more space was made to hold added vehicles.
"The space we had was less than desirable. We needed to improve that. We expanded and grew the number of spaces and make it so easy to get in and out and simple for customers," Hart says. "It was a huge improvement."
For private aircraft, the airport built a new terminal and hangars on the west side of the airfield.
"Not everyone travels commercially," Hart says, noting that a number of business have their own aircraft. "It's a great front door for our community, for corporate business travelers to come though to do business here."
He cited operator Wilson Air Center's work at the private general aviation terminal.
"It's extremely important to provide a great product and great service to our customers," Hart says.