America, Meet New Haven

To read the New York Times, you'd think the only things New Haven is known for are Yale, pizza, and perhaps Louis' Lunch.

Oh, sure, the city has a rich history, going back to well before the republic was established. We're "The Constitution State," you know (which, I suppose is better than being "The Nutmeg State").

As such, New Haven likes to position itself as a "world class" city. Understandable with events such as the International Festival of Arts & Ideas. (I'm not so sure the town of Hanover, New Hampshire, home of Dartmouth, would do the same. Also, some of you out there may be old enough to remember those "Look What We've Got" TV and radio ads that Mayor Ben DiLieto's team devised. "We've got people, you know who you are"?)

Yes, New Haven has a lot to offer. There's just one small problem.

Getting here.

If you've ever picked up the Greater New Haven Visitors Guide, you'll see Tweed-New Haven Airport listed. You'll also see Bradley International Airport, 55 miles away. You'll also see the two New York City airports, which can be 75 to 90 miles away, depending on which one you wish to use. You'll also see Boston's Logan Airport, a staggering 150 miles away! I think that last one is a bit of a stretch. I don't know why the Visitors Bureau lists the other airports. I've looked at the Westchester County visitors guide, and their airport is the only one listed. Not even La Guardia, which is roughly 25 miles away. In the case of Stamford, their guide doesn't list any airport, only the city's train station.

New Haven also lists Union Station, for those who wish to take the train, and Interstates 91 and 95 for those "road warriors," positioning itself as a "close by" destination (by train or car, anyway,) to come visit. And it would seem those in the Visitors Bureau are content with trying to lure folks from the neighboring states and beyond, if that's possible. Metro-North's New Haven Line serves Westchester County, the Bronx and Manhattan. Amtrak serves eight other states and the District of Columbia. Eight out of 50 states don't give you much coverage.

And just what do you tell the folks in those Northeast Corridor states? Are you going to tell folks in New Jersey, "Your casinos are okay, but if you want a real challenge, try ours!"?

Do you tell those denizens of Massachusetts, "When your fall foliage is through, come down and see ours!"?

And---and---do you dare to tell New Yorkers, "Our pizza can kick your pizza's ass!"? Late night TV talk show host Stephen Colbert had a whole monologue knocking New Haven's pizza claim, and N. Y. C. mayor Eric Adams said that "New Haven's pizza is probably number 3." (Curiously enough, there are some instances when a travelogue will mention a city's pizza other than New York's, such as Chicago and Detroit, but seldom New Haven.)

(Brief sidebar, re, Louis' Lunch. I recall then-mayor John DeStefano almost went to war with two other American cities because they had the audacity to claim that they were "the birthplace of the hamburger in America." This was the same mayor who made a "deal" with East Haven's mayor which handcuffed his city's airport for the next decade. Priorities, you know.)

I have to wonder how many people who live, say, past 400 miles, would want to fly to Windsor Locks and then schlep their way down to New Haven? I mean, you're saying what a great "world class" city you have, then you're directing potential visitors to use some other city's airport? And consider this: While they're riding down from Bradley past Hartford, they're going to see billboards advertising all the great things going on in Hartford, maybe, just maybe planting the seed in their head that, "Hey, Hartford is more convenient to get to, let's look there!"

(Now, I dunno, maybe there are a few intrepid souls out there who would take an Amtrak from California to Chicago's Union Station, endure a several hours layover, and change to a train to New York's Penn Station before changing to a third train to New Haven. Not many, but a few, bless 'em.)

Things began to change in 2021 when startup carrier Avelo Airlines announced they would commence service out of Tweed-New Haven Airport, primarily to Florida, with Charleston and Myrtle Beach thrown in. What made this great was that for the first time ever, travelers from Southern Connecticut would be traveling directly to their destinations instead of flying to another city's "hub" airport on a small plane to connect with a bigger one.

Buoyed by the success of their Florida service, Avelo began adding other cities to New Haven's mix, including Atlanta, Charlotte (Concord), Chicago (Midway), Houston, St. Louis and New Orleans. Their are now something in the neighborhood of 26 or 27 U. S. cities (and Puerto Rico!) which have access to New Haven.

And now it was recently announced by fellow startup Breeze Airways that they too will inaugurate New Haven service this December, including a few cities to which Avelo doesn't fly.

Of particular note is the aircraft Breeze employs on their routes, the Airbus A220, somewhat smaller than Avelo's 737s, but quite comfortable, and with long-range flying capabilities. I say this because Tweed is embarking on a series of improvements, including lengthening its runway from 5,600 to 6,500 feet. With that additional distance, we could be welcoming visitors from as far away as Denver, Phoenix and Salt Lake City.

Think about it. Houstonians could be chomping on real pizza, St. Louisans can visit the third oldest university in the nation, and Atlantans can experience for themselves the hamburger's arrival in America. It would no longer be just the Northeast Corridor, but a good portion of America would see New Haven, and judge for themselves.

Hey, America, we have a great city here! But don't just take our word for it, come see for yourself!