Business travelers want more destinations, more flights, Fort Wayne International Airport survey sho

Published: November 22, 2013 3:00 a.m.

Business travelers want more destinations, more flights, Fort Wayne International Airport survey shows

Sherry Slater | The Journal Gazette

New York and Washington, D.C., are the two new destinations northeast Indiana business travelers most want to reach with direct flights from Fort Wayne International Airport, according to survey results released Thursday.

The 353 participants in the survey also indicated they’d like more flights offered to three existing destinations: Atlanta, Orlando, Fla., and Dallas/Fort Worth.

Three of four respondents to the Business Travel Survey – or 73 percent – support the idea of using government incentives to help offset the cost of establishing in-demand routes.

The Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority recently received a $600,000 grant from the Small Community Air Service Development Program. Officials said they hope to use that money to pursue expansions to local eastbound routes.

The online survey was distributed in the spring by the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, the airport, various businesses and travel agents. While leisure travelers weren’t prohibited from completing the survey, officials targeted business travelers.

Scott Hinderman, executive director of airports for the Airport Authority, said officials believe the number of responses is statistically significant. The survey results, he said, validate airport officials’ beliefs about what travelers want.