How'm I Doin'?

I know.

Some of you out there look at the headline, then the name underneath it.

You roll your eyes, let out an exasperated sigh, and say, "Him again! Doesn't that guy have anything better to do than to write about that freakin' airport???"

The short answer is "no." Here's why.

I have followed Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport since 1967, when the first commercial passenger jets arrived. And down through the decades there has been story after story dealing with those "poor unfortunates" who bought houses in the area around Tweed, never expecting the airport would accommodate jet service, even though in every decade since, that's exactly what it's done.

It makes no difference who reports it, whether it be the Register, the Independent, the Yale Daily News, WTNH's News 8, whomever. With rare exception, the local media outlets have a tendency to portray the airport in a negative light. It's like they go out of their way to look for bad news about Tweed.

"The airport they hate to love," if you will.

I imagine most of you get your news from one or more of the above-listed sources presenting a bleak picture of Tweed, influencing travelers in the Southern Connecticut area.

Trust me, I've heard them all: "The airfares out of Tweed are too expensive!" "The planes are so small!" "I don't want to change planes!" "I want to fly in a jet, not a prop!" "Bradley's only an hour away!" I've even heard stories of New Haven residents who were unaware their city even has an airport. New Haven's historic love affair with the railroad only compounds it.

A lot of that has changed in recent years, particularly since the arrival of Avelo Airlines in November of 2021, flying passengers to desirable destinations for not only more affordable fares, but nonstop.

Indeed, Avelo has boarded something in the neighborhood of 400,000 passengers out of Tweed annually, and now it will be Breeze Airways' turn to show what they can do.

Alas, the local media continues to dwell on generation after generation of folks who, lured by affordable prices, chose to buy houses in the airport vicinity. Groups like the 10,000 Hawks, Keep Tweed Small and Save Our Shoreline get a lot of ink from the local media, who love presenting it as "the people versus the powerful," to borrow a line from Al Gore.

And if you've read any of my posts over the course of this year, you'd see that they're not the "victims" they want you to perceive them to be. In most cases, they're pretty well off.

Now perhaps there are some folks who settled out there because of Tweed, pretty much the same way people who are train fans will buy a house as close to the tracks as possible to watch the action. There may even be some people out there who aren't affected one way or the other. But the local media can't seem to find them; they don't "fit the narrative."

Since January of this year, I have posted a number of "alternative" stories about Tweed. Perspectives I know the local media wouldn't cover. As radio commentator Paul Harvey used to say, "the rest of the story!" I am grateful to the Patch for giving me this opportunity. And it has been my hope that maybe some of you out there are reading my missives and saying, "Whoa! I didn't know that!," and maybe I've aroused your interest.

Hey, there may even be some of you who are followers of all things Tweed-New Haven, and actually enjoy these posts.

The problem is, I have know way of knowing, short of the reader hitting the "Thank" emoticon at the bottom of the article. (The Patch doesn't give readers the option of replying to an author's work.)

Here's what I'd like you to do.

As I'm sure a great many of you have access to social media, there are airport-friendly groups that you can access on Facebook to learn more about Tweed. Two of them are "As The Beacon Turns," and "Tweed Facts." Now, I want you to be very careful in accessing "Tweed Facts" because the opposition has a FB page called "Fly Tweed Facts," so don't get the two of them confused! Maybe in visiting those sites you can mention reading about Tweed right here in the Patch. That would help a great deal.

Also, the Airport Authority holds monthly meetings which are open to the public via Zoom. You can get more information by going to www.flytweed.com., and going to the Airport Authority page. You may went to let them know as well about these dispatches.

Lastly, you too can also submit an article for posting here on the Patch. It's not hard to do. Hey, if a schlub like myself can do it, it should be a cinch for you.

After decades of playing "catch up," New Haven---and indeed, Southern Connecticut!---is finally getting the airport it deserves, with a longer runway and a new modern terminal in the works.

Is my message getting out?

I'd sure like to know.