New flight option for Green Bay area travelers

ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (WFRV) - There's a new option for travelers flying out of the Green Bay area. Austin Straubel International Airport officials announced Monday a new non-stop flight to Atlanta.

"The airline will use a 65 passenger, two class jet with wi-fi capability," Airport Manager Tom Miller said.

Delta Airlines will start the flight on June 10th, 2013.

Miller calls the addition a tremendous thing for local travelers.

"Non-stop service is really a preferred flight rather than having to make a connection," explained Miller. "Even if the price is a little bit higher, I think this will be very well received in the community."

And it could be the ticket to raising passenger numbers. According to Miller, traffic at Austin Straubel was down 19% from 2011 to 2012. Now the airport and the community are hoping for a smoother take-off in 2013.

"It's a very important piece of our tourism business," said Brad Toll, Executive Director of the Greater Green Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Toll said having direct access to the largest airport in the country has the potential to land a lot of money in the local economy.

"Being connected to that connects us to all the cities they fly into and that's huge when we're out selling our community as a convention destination, and as a sports destination," said Toll.

Airport officials and community leaders have been working with Delta for more than a year to bring the flight to Green Bay.

While Outagamie County Regional Airport in Appleton already offers non-stop flights to Atlanta, managers at both airports believe there is enough demand to make all the flights successful.