The news came fast and furiously on Wednesday as Chicago Rockford (Ill.) International Airport, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Pa.) International Airport and Dayton (Ohio) International Airport all announced that Atlanta-based Southern Skyways will be flying passengers to Myrtle Beach this summer.

The new Rockford route comes on the heels of that airport’s 26-percent increase in passenger travel in 2007, and returns a Grand Strand flight option not seen there since Hooters Air last provided it in December 2005. From May 23 to Sept. 1, the flight will depart Mondays and Fridays with fares ranging from $129 to $179 each way (plus taxes and fees).

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s non-stop Myrtle Beach service begins May 21, with fares starting at $79 each way. The direct flight also adds a new convenience to an area whose county airport has only offered connecting service to popular vacation destinations.

Dayton’s service – also non-stop – runs May 23 through Labor Day on Mondays and Fridays, and offers one-way fares ranging from $79 to $129. "Our passengers have been telling us for some time that Myrtle Beach is a direct destination they would like served from Dayton, and we are most pleased that it has become a reality," said Iftikhar Ahmad, Dayton director of aviation, in this Dayton Business Journal article.

We should've seen this coming two years ago, when the Grand Strand seemed abnormally awash in black & yellow as the Steelers made their run to Super Bowl glory.

But I guess 20,000 airline passengers can’t be wrong: that’s how many have taken advantage of the Myrtle Beach-Pittsburgh flight since its debut by Myrtle Beach Direct Air earlier this year. Now, the upstart carrier is expanding this offering from a seasonal service to a year-round enterprise connecting these two markets.

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So the new terminal project at Myrtle Beach International Airport is, for all intents and purposes, dead – finished off Thursday by the city Community Appearance Board’s unanimous vote to reject it. What now?

Amid the disappointment surrounding the process and its results, it is at least encouraging to see that several prominent business leaders remain eager and ready to press on, and continue addressing the remaining need to improve airline travel in this market.

From Brad Dean, president of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce: “As a community, we desperately need to grow the number of flights in our market, and we pledge to do so in coordination with the county and the city, regardless of whether we are flying into the current terminal, and expanded terminal or a new terminal.”

From Mickey McCamish, president of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday: “At this point, I’m glad a decision has been made, and perhaps what needs to be done is go back to the basics and reassess the entire airport need. The project justification just wasn’t good enough … Right now our focus continues to be on the air service. The next step for us is to see the report from The Boyd Group (on costs to airlines – more on that later). If we attract the affordable air service, that would be the key more than anything.”

From the peanut gallery: As we move forward, I just have a few requests of some of the principals who’ve been involved in this process:

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Now creamy chocolate goodness is not only delicious but healthy too!  For years dieters and health nuts alike have avoided this sinful indulgence because of its terrible reputation for a high content of saturated fat, calories, and sugar.  If you are anything like me you avoid that entire wing of the mall to evade even glancing at the tempting morsels.  So instead now you can say hello to milk chocolate's wholesome cousin: dark chocolate. 

Some call it semi-sweet or baker's chocolate yet scientists are beginning to call it beneficial.  Apparently the flavonoids present in this type of chocolate can prevent damage to cells and even lower “bad” and raise “good” cholesterol.  The cacao more prevalent in dark chocolate contains essential trace elements such as iron, calcium, potassium and various l vitamins.  It appears to have the same benefits as drinking a glass of red wine since they both have phenols which can minimize the risk of coronary heart disease.  These ingredients help keep blood vessels elastic and can reduce clotting to the same degree as taking an aspirin.  And which one would you prefer a daily dose of?

But what is it in chocolate that we find so deliciously enchanting?  There are a variety of ingredients in small, but effective quantities that cause pleasing chemical reactions throughout the body.  Caffeine increases resistance to fatigue as well as intellectual acuteness, phenylethlamine is the same gratifying chemical released when falling in love, endorphins are natural opiates to elevate mood and reduce pain, and Tryptophan is an amino acid that increases serotonin production of anti-depressants and reduces stress.  So now not only are nutritious benefits of dark chocolate being recognized but some popular myths are being discredited as well.  Despite what your parents may have told you growing up chocolate and its consumption does not cause acne and will not rot your teeth.  Contrary to popular belief it actually consists of antibacterial agents that fight tooth decay and it is the high content of sugar in milk chocolate that is the cavity culprit.  Chocolate is not addictive nor can it make you “high” unless you eat about 25 lbs of it in one sitting—an impressive feat that could also leave you with quite a stomach ache.

With this all being said I encourage each and every one of you to indulge.  For convenient and local treats I’d try one of these tasty choices: Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Canipe Chocolates & Candies, The Fudgery or River Street Sweets.  Buy with confidence and the next time you need a guilty pleasure, reach for an innocent piece of dark chocolate instead and rejoice in your healthy choice.  Feel free to gloat to jealous spectators or health conscious critics that eating “2 ounces a day can keep the doctor away”.

 

You know the airline commercial I’m talking about? I think it’s for Southwest, where it spoofs the beleaguered flyer getting nickel & dimed at every turn – coin slots to operate the armrests, seatback tray, even the flight attendant call button. As the guy fumbles through his pockets for extra change to complete the next task, the kid sitting next to him asks, “First time flying, huh?”

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“It’s not sexy, but it’s got teeth.”

That’s how Tom Cruise justifies mail fraud charges against “The Firm” to Ed Harris. In real life, it’s the philosophy that let the feds get Al Capone for tax evasion. And as local debate continues over a proposed new terminal at Myrtle Beach International Airport, and the media, Congress and public interest groups gnash their collective teeth over a “Passenger Bill of Rights,” it also describes the legislation that already sits on Capitol Hill – but lies mostly obscured by the fallout from the JetBlue Valentine’s Day Massacre.

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Myrtle Beach can be an expensive destination to fly to from certain cities. When AirTran discontinued service to Myrtle Beach it made things even worse for the air traveler to and from the Grand Strand.

Spirit Air has recently announced a very good "Ocho Presidente" sale that will coincide with Myrtle Beach's golf high season. On select dates in March and April you can find rates as low as $8 from the following cities:

-Boston -Detroit -Ft. Lauderdale

New York is on sale for $44 each way.

Fares don't include $20-30 in tax each way, but still a fine deal nonetheless.

For more information check out SpiritAir.com

As Horry County and Myrtle Beach city officials continue to discuss the fate of the proposed new terminal at Myrtle Beach International Airport, the volatile landscape of the airline industry may ultimately play the biggest role in its resolution.

The Sun News has reported extensively on the current stalemate between Horry County Council and the city’s Community Appearance Board, as they work together to resolve remaining questions about traffic flow, aesthetics and the new terminal’s proximity to new development at the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. However, the broader issue here is that sweeping changes in airline service to the Grand Strand are either already in play, or loom for seven of Myrtle Beach International’s nine carriers.

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You know that empty, helpless feeling, standing by the airport baggage carousel as it spits out everyone’s luggage … but yours.

What’s worse, while your clubs are making a temporary detour through Montego Bay, the first tee time on your four-day Myrtle Beach golf trip is only a few hours away. Can’t a vacationing hacker catch a break?

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