It has been exciting to watch the big, new Volkswagen operation go up at Enterprise South industrial park. The plant, being constructed at a price of $1 billion, will employ more than 2,000 workers and will build about 150,000 vehicles per year. Thousands more jobs are being created by other companies to supply materials to VW. Those investments are helping stabilize the local economy even during a time of economic crisis nationwide.
We learned recently of yet another “spin-off” benefit from the VW plant: Delta Air Lines has started offering daily, nonstop flights from Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport to Detroit.
That will link Chattanooga to the “Motor City,” which is of great importance in the auto industry. Both VW and its supplier companies are enthusiastic about the new flights. Volkswagen’s U.S. headquarters is in Herndon, Va., rather than Detroit, but the new flight will provide a direct connection for the 400 employees VW still has in Auburn Hills, Mich., a suburb of Detroit.
The morning flights will be scheduled so a passenger can arrive early enough to get in a day’s work and then return early the following day.
But residents in and around Chattanooga who are not part of the auto industry will also benefit. The Detroit link opens up new connections to other cities, including international destinations. It also will encourage greater tourism from the Detroit area to scenic Chattanooga, which will benefit our economy.
All told, area residents may now fly directly from Chattanooga to nine destinations: Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Dallas; Detroit; Memphis; Orlando, Fla.; Washington, D.C.; and Tampa, Fla. (via St. Petersburg). Just as importantly, residents of those areas may fly directly to Chattanooga.
Expanded flight options benefit us all in direct or indirect ways.