It was past time for the move from Terminal 2.

I am not hearing many passengers complain about the move at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport from Terminal 2. Sure, Terminal 2 was nice because security lines were normally shorter and wait times at the counter were minimal, but the facility was old and offered few traveler amenities.

Moving American, United, US Airways, and Air Canada flight operations to Concourse A in Terminal 3 means all flight activity will now take place in one location, which is a good move from a logistics standpoint; one security checkpoint instead of two is also a money saver as well. But it is a move which also points towards the future and away from the past.

The $36.5 million spent to upgrade Concourse A was done with an eye to future growth at CVG. Yes, when we play the numbers game (and it is an easy one to recite) it’s more than obvious we have a fraction of the flight activity today that we enjoyed just a few years ago, but airports are also about business and Terminal 2 was an eyesore for first time visitors to our area.

First impressions are everything and those arriving to our area for the first time in Terminal 2 were less than impressed. Nothing of our community was displayed in Terminal 2, it simply looked like just another airport - nothing special.

Concourse A celebrates our community in a way few airports do, which is certainly a step in the right direction.

Yes, we have seen a dramatic drop in flight activity at CVG and there are fewer options today than in the past. However, my confidence in those running CVG remains high and I suspect in short order we will see additional airlines announce service to the airport. Then, the responsibility to support these new airlines falls squarely on us, as a community, proving they made the right decision to offer service from CVG.

Congratulations to all who played a roll in the new Concourse A, a job well done and a considerable and impressive investment in our future.

It is decision time for American Airlines.

Several years ago when Delta announced plans to merge with Northwest Airlines, stockholders and employees for American Airlines openly asked how their airline would respond.

American did nothing and Delta created the largest airline in the United States.

Shortly thereafter United announced plans to merge with Continental, besting Delta by creating the largest airline in the United States and stockholders and employees for American Airlines again asked how their airline would respond.

Again, American Airlines did nothing.

Following American’s filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, the call for action reached a deafening level. Employees called for some action on the part of their airline, urging the management team to consider a merger with US Airways as a way to better compete with the ever-changing industry landscape.

American’s management replied saying they would wait until the Chapter 11 proceedings were finalized later this year and would then begin serious discussions about merging with another carrier.

On Friday the creditors for American entered the discussion saying the airline should merge now, instead of waiting and all fingers seem to be pointed in the direction of US Airways.

Is a merger for American Airlines a good idea? Yes. However, if the management team for this airline has proven anything over the past seven years, it’s the fact they have a hard time concentrating on multiple projects at once. The fact the airline has been unable to negotiate new labor contracts with their employees (mechanics, pilots, flight attendants, customer service, etc.) in years speaks volumes about management’s multi-tasking abilities.

If American pulls the trigger to merge before they are ready, it could make the situation worse and in airline terms, waiting a few more months to entertain discussions seems like a good move. However, if US Airways was to merge with another carrier before then, the backlash at American would be tremendous.

My take is American should wait until they are through the bankruptcy process before proceeding. A merger with US Airways would be, at best, a minimally positive move, making the risk at waiting one worth taking.

American will make a move…eventually.

Is this the face of a terror suspect?

Earlier this week Jet Blue agents in Fort Lauderdale determined a passenger’s name on their departing flight matched a name on the government terror no-fly list. As a result, the agents boarded the plane and asked for the family to leave the aircraft.

The husband, wife and 18 month old were then escorted back to the gate area, where a swarm of law enforcement personnel were waiting. Since the woman was wearing a traditional Muslim head scarf, passengers aboard the flight actually cheered as the family was removed. But it wasn’t the parents who were suspected, it was the 18 month old girl.

Somehow the Jet Blue agents had determined the little girl’s name was on the no-fly list.

Finally a representative from the TSA was summoned and it was determined the gate agents were in error and that’s when agents began apologizing to the family. However, given the applause which erupted as the family was removed from the plane, they decided to drive home - instead of flying, vowing never to fly Jet Blue again.

And who could blame them?