For God, Country And...Oh, Wait.

Recently, the Yale Women's Softball Team traveled to South Carolina on Avelo Airlines. And while that may not seem noteworthy, it's a rather bright spot in the university's patronage of its hometown's airport, or lack of same.

Perhaps the most enduring allegation put forth by those neighbors around Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport is this one: "Ya know why they want to expand that airport? It's because Yale wants it!"

That may have been true during the administration of Kingman Brewster, Jr., but recent events (with the rare exception of the above) seem to contradict this.

I can recall there was a Yale professor by the name of David Cameron who attended the city's budget hearings religiously, the budget at that time including funding for the airport. And it didn't matter how much Tweed's budget was, to Professor Cameron, it was always too much, and should be slashed. (I don't think the professor would have been happy until the airport had to resort to bake sales to fund its operations.)

Doesn't sound like Yale support of Tweed to me.

Some years back, the university, in an attempt to have more of its employees live within New Haven city limits, established a home-buying assistance program. Any employee willing to locate within New Haven's borders was eligible. Great plan, right?

Except for one thing. The vast majority of applicants went to two neighborhoods: Westville and the Morris Cove, the latter being Tweed's neighborhood. (The program was later modified to apply to only those areas close to downtown.)

Now, knowing what we know about how, for almost sixty years, folks buying houses near an airport with jet service instantly oppose the airport, what do you think those Yale employees who bought houses near Tweed are going to do? Hmmm?

And it doesn't stop at the Cove. Tweed's opponents have produced statements from two Yale professors who issued statements opposing the airport on environmental and other grounds. One professor lives in East Haven and the other in Branford. (Coincidence?)

And then there's Yale Transit.

Several years ago, I asked YTC if they would consider running one of their jitneys out to the airport. It wouldn't have to be every day. Probably around the semester's beginning and end, with special service around holidays and spring break.

Their reply? The demand doesn't justify it. This coming from an entity which runs service all the way out to the West Haven train station, which, by the way, is farther from the university than is Tweed. I find it hard to believe there's more of a demand for the West Haven station, especially in light of the phenomenal boarding numbers Avelo Airlines has been posting at Tweed.

And speaking of Avelo...

How did the Yale Daily News cover student reaction to Avelo unveiling three new destinations in March of 2022? Admittedly, a number of students were enthusiastic and welcomed the news. But, in the issue of "fairness," the paper also found several students who laced their replies with skepticism, one preferring Amtrak for their Wi-Fi (Avelo has yet to include it on their flights) and adding, "It's kinda fun having the freedom to pick your seat on a train." Two other students---both staff reporters for the YDN---also sided with Amtrak, while yet another student declared that "flying into smaller airports can be expensive." (I imagine she did not look at Avelo's fares.)

Moreover, the Yale Daily News has produced a number of anti-Tweed articles, quoting such airport opposition groups as the 10,000 Hawks and Save Our Shoreline, all in the interest of "the environment."

And if you come across an ad in the YDN for Bradley International Airport, don't be surprised; Bradley personnel embarked on an ambitious program a few years back to forge a "partnership" with Yale. Ever the opportunists, that bunch.

Lastly, there was the group of Yale students who, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, decided to journey to New Orleans to assist.

So how did they get there? Not by taking CT Transit's #206 bus (which runs right past Yale) to Tweed, then flying to Philadelphia to connect with a nonstop, but by taking Metro-North to New York City, then surface transportation out to Queens to catch their flight.

Does any of this sound like Yale is solidly behind Tweed?

Look over any publicized airport-related announcements from the past three years, be it Avelo service, Avports or the airport master plan.

I can assure you that nowhere---nowhere---will you find a statement from or the presence of a Yale official.

And yet those folks opposed to Tweed are adamant in their claim that "Yale is behind all this," even as the Yale Daily News is solidly in their camp.

Ironically, other area colleges have taken advantage of and are patronizing Tweed's Avelo service and posting it on their platforms.

And even area high school students from both New Haven and East Haven have benefitted from sponsored visits to Tweed and Avelo in pursuing possible aviation-related careers.

So, while Yale may excel in other areas of community involvement, sad to say that, when it comes to their own city's airport, they get a big fat "F."