Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 4, 1994 TAG: 9408050042
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MAG POFF STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The new service should increase Roanoke's cargo figures dramatically, said Mark Courtney, marketing director at the Roanoke airport. That also will affect airport revenues.
Courtney said he expects the new service will bring freight by truck to Roanoke from Lynchburg and throughout Western Virginia.
Burlington has no direct competitors at the airport, he said, because the type of freight it handles usually moves by truck. He termed it an upgrading of existing service.
Burlington Air Express is based in Irvine, Calif., and operates its national air hub in Toledo, Ohio. Through that hub, Roanoke will be connected with every city in North America, Burlington spokeswoman Raquel Garcia said.
The daily Burlington flight will land in Roanoke from Toledo at 8:05 a.m. and depart for Toledo at 10:05 a.m. Burlington flies several types of planes but typically uses the Boeing 727 and the DC-8, Garcia said .
Burlington does not deliver envelopes or small packages. It serves manufacturers and distributors who ship large packages or heavy equipment. It specializes in transportation services to business-to-business shippers, along with air freight, international air freight, ocean forwarding and customs brokerage worldwide.
Mike Sassard, Burlington's station manager in Roanoke, said the plane into Roanoke will allow the line to offer "one-stop shopping."
"Our new early arrival and later departure will mean we can provide reliable overnight service to the entire Roanoke area, including Lynchburg," Sassard said.
The direct flight also will offer more flexibility. Burlington's customers "typically have more complex shipping requirements than overnight letter and small package shippers," Sassard said.
The Roanoke flight is part of a 20 percent increase in Burlington's overnight air capacity. The company has 495 offices in 106 countries and is a subsidiary of the Pittston Co.
by CNB