Binghamton Airport Seeking To Expand Flight Options

Broome County is taking steps to bring a new air service to the Greater Binghamton Airport. At its meeting today, the Broome County Legislature could authorize a $66,650 contract with Sixel Consulting Group out of Oregon, which would help seek an additional flight service at the airport in the Town of Maine. The contract with Sixel would start as soon as a resolution is passed, and run through the end of the year. The resolution was held over during the legislature’s meeting last month. Officials for Broome County hope the consultants can work to convince airline carriers on adding new destinations reachable from Binghamton, using larger aircraft, or increasing the frequency of the routes that already exist through Binghamton. Sixel also works with the Albany International Airport and just recently announced that Jet Blue would begin servicing that airport starting in 2015. Some legislators say hiring the consultants and moving forward with plans of adding a new service is particularly important for Binghamton, as the airport faces competition from regional airports in Ithaca and Elmira.