North Texas pitched as a gateway between Latin America, Asia Officials at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport are trying to attract more international flights by wooing the passengers who would use them. The airport and officials from the Dallas and Fort Worth convention and visitor bureaus plan to announce today a nearly $5 million marketing campaign to tout the North Texas airport as a convenient gateway to key markets in Latin America and Asia. The campaign includes hiring sales representatives in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; and Mexico City. In January, the campaign will be extended to Seoul, South Korea, and a salesperson hired there. Themes of the campaign include D/FW's designation as having the best customer service in North America, its twoyear- old international Terminal D and Skylink train, and its speedy immigration processing.

A US Airways flight was evacuated at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport after a smoking suitcase was spotted on its way to the plane's cargo area, airport officials said. Officials said the 108 passengers and five crew members were in the process of boarding Flight 200 to San Antonio at about 10 a.m. local time when a baggage handler noticed a hot bag that began emitting smoke on the tarmac. No explosives were found in the luggage and the owner of the suitcase was questioned by authorities, an airport spokeswoman said. Terrorism was not suspected. There were no reports of any other flight delays at the airport, the eighth busiest in the US.

The Panama City – Bay County International Airport and Industrial District (Airport Authority) held a ceremonial groundbreaking on Thursday, November 1, initiating the construction phase its new state-of-the-art international airport. Officiating the ceremony were (LR) Randy Curtis, Airport Executive Director; Gerry Clemons, Airport Board Member; Stephanie Kopelousos, Secretary of the Department of Transportation; Joe Tannehill, Airport Board Chairman; Bill Cramer, Airport Board Vice Chairman; Andy McKenzie, Airport Board Member; and Rick Koehnemann, Airport Board Member. The airport is being built in the 75,000-acre West Bay Area Sector on 1,300 acres of a 4,000-acre site being donated to the Airport Authority by The St. Joe Company. The Airport is being built in the 78,000-acre West Bay Sector on a 4,000- acre site being donated to the Airport Authority by The St. Joe Company. The new Panama City - Bay County International Airport will be the first airport built in the U.S. since 9-11. and is being built on a "greenfield" site with ample room for current operations and room to grow to meet requirements for the next 50 years. Relocation of the airport also triggers the creation of the West Bay Preservation Area, a 41,000-acre conservation area designed to permanently protect West Bay, one of the most environmentally diverse ecosystems in the world. The preservation area will ultimately protect 44 miles of undeveloped shoreline and an additional 33 miles of creeks and tributaries.

NJ ASDO's Aviation Networking Conference at the Hilton Newark Airport is the annual "reverse trade show" that brings together area business owners and buyers from Newark Liberty International and Teterboro Airports to establish mutually beneficial relationships by giving both direct to the communities they serve. The Air Services Development Office, funded by The Port Authority of NY&NJ, helps bring opportunity and economic growth to thousands of businesses surrounding the airports by matching the needs of aviation industry buyers with the expertise of area busineses.