Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, already on pace for a record-breaking year in passenger boardings, is expected to gain a big lift from new United Airlines service, officials said Monday.
United, slated to start nonstops between Chattanooga and the New York City area and Chicago on Sept. 7, will help the airport top 400,000 passenger boardings for the first time ever this year if figures stay on course, said Terry Hart, Lovell Field’s chief.
The airline will add about 200 seats a day to the Chattanooga market with the new flights, he said during a meeting of the Airport Authority.
Through July, boardings are up 2.46 percent over the same period last year, when the airport set a new record of 392,139 passengers.
Dan Jacobson, the Airport Authority’s chairman, said Lovell Field is attracting more travelers from East Tennessee and North Georgia.