Author: triflight

Blountville, Tenn. – Tri-Cities Airport will conduct an Airport emergency exercise Wednesday, June 10, from 10 AM to 12 PM.

Purpose:
This is a federally-mandated exercise designed to promote emergency preparedness, test the Airport’s emergency operation plan, train personnel in emergency management duties and coordinate the efforts of local emergency service agencies responding to an aircraft accident or incident.

Media Assembly Point:
Address: Air Cargo Center off Hamilton Road
100 Cargo Center Dr., Blountville, TN 37617

Parking: Park in front of cargo terminal and walk through gate Z.
No media vehicles will be allowed in exercise area.

PRESS CREDENTIALS MUST BE PRESENTED TO SECURITY AT THE GATE
CHECK IN AND AT THE DESIGNATED MEDIA AREA

Schedule:
Participant assembly time 9:30 AM
Burn bus prepared 9:30 AM
Victims staged 9:45 AM
Exercise begins 10:00 AM

• Due to COVID-19, this exercise has been limited to help prevent its spread. We will have a limited number of volunteer victims who will not be touched and will be given verbal instructions on how they would be treated and will be asked to walk to their assigned area. There will be a number of simulated victims in place for responders to assess. We will also have a bus burning to simulate and aircraft fire. Tri-Cities Airport responders will be working with local mutual aid agencies to distinguish the fire.

Scenario:
At approximately 9:00 AM, a 76-passenger regional jet en route to Tri-Cities Airport crashes upon landing when the left main landing gear fails and the aircraft slides off the runway. The aircraft then rolled, breaking into two separate pieces with one section catching on fire. The Air Traffic Control Tower calls an Alert 3. The on-duty Airport public safety officers respond and call for mutual aid support. Sixty souls were on board, 56 passengers and four crew. Several people are ejected from the aircraft and injuries range from minor cuts and scrapes to serious trauma with some fatalities.

Media Notes:
• Follow CDC guidelines of social distancing and wearing face coverings.
• Hand-carried cameras only; media vehicles will not be allowed on the airfield.
• During the exercise, members of the media are asked to refrain from talking to or approaching any of the direct participants.
• Media are requested to stay in the designated media area during the drill. This is for safety purposes. Every effort will be made to provide as much access as possible while maintaining the integrity of the drill.
• If an actual emergency occurs at the Airport, the exercise will be cancelled or placed on hold, depending on the situation.
• The Airport will remain open and operational during the exercise. Daily operations should function as usual.
• This exercise will focus on emergency response and will not simulate how the airline or airport would work with family, friends, and onlookers. In an actual emergency, media would not be allowed inside the accident perimeter.
• Dress accordingly as the drill is conducted outdoors.

Exercise Objectives:
• To exercise and evaluate the Airport’s emergency plan.
• To familiarize mutual aid agencies with Airport facilities, staff and emergency procedures.
• To provide training to Airport employees and local emergency responders in a mass injury and casualty incident.
• To demonstrate the ability to prioritize and use jurisdictional resources and Assets for maximum effectiveness during response operations.
• To demonstrate the capability to conduct rapid situational assessment.

Blountville, Tenn. – The Tri-Cities Airport has discovered the airport website and hundreds of other airport websites across the country, are being partially copied onto airport “guide” websites.

These websites contain false and inaccurate information about the airports and airport services. Many of them also appear to offer hotel booking, shuttle services, car rental and other services not directly associated with the airports. The websites use unauthorized images directly from the airport website to make the guide appear legitimate.

“We urge passengers to be very cautious and to make sure they are on the actual airport website when searching for air travel information,” said Gene Cossey, Tri-Cities Airport Authority executive director. “Travelers should also be vigilant and only conduct travel related business through the actual airport website, directly with the airlines, rental car companies, or through reputable third-party vendors.”

Organizations within airport communities have also received emails from these airport guide websites asking for the organization to link to their website.

The official website for the Tri-Cities Airport (TRI) is triflight.com. The only third-party vendor on the triflight.com website is airline booking engine, OnPeak. Allegiant is currently the only advertiser on triflight.com.

Blountville, Tenn. – Beginning the week of February 17, Tailwind will begin construction on a new café area and remodeling the restaurant in the Tri-Cities Airport concourse.

The first phase will include constructing a new café area next to gate 4 and is expected to be completed by mid-March. As part of this phase of construction, the concourse flight information display system (FIDS) will be relocated during the week of Feb. 17, and unavailable to passengers. After passing through security clearance, passengers will only be able to access flight schedules through their airline’s app or triflight.com.

The second phase, which is to remodel the restaurant, will begin in mid-March. The updated restaurant area will include a new kitchen, additional seating and better flow for passenger use.

Food service in the concourse will be limited during the construction of the new restaurant. The Tailwind restaurant located in the main terminal will remain open and continue to offer its full menu during construction.

“We are excited that Tailwind will be expanding their services and offerings in the concourse area of the airport,” said Gene Cossey, Tri-Cities Airport Authority executive director. “We expect passengers will be pleased with the changes.”

Updates will be provided as construction progresses.

Blountville, TN – American Airlines will begin dual-class service on flights to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) beginning June 4, 2020. The aircraft will have 65 seats, nine of which will be first-class seating. This replaces the current single-class service aircraft with 44 seats.

Tri-Cities Airport (TRI) passengers have embraced the new service to DFW, leading to the increased aircraft capacity and improved service.

“We are proud to add more seats between Tri-Cities and our largest hub, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport,” said Philippe Puech, Senior Manager of Network Planning at American. “This increased commitment highlights the successful partnership between American Airlines, the Tri-Cities Airport Authority and the Tri-Cities community.”

 “The airport has seen a remarkable increase in passengers throughout the last year,” said Gene Cossey, Tri-Cities Airport Authority executive director. “The addition of the DFW flight is a huge contributor to this year’s success. In December, our passenger numbers were up 24 percent with 10 percent growth for 2019.”

TRI finished 2019 with more than 448,000 total passengers visiting the area and accessing the world.

 “We are happy to see that our community and visitors are embracing the new service on American Airlines,” said Gene Cossey, TCAA executive director. “The Dallas-Fort Worth flight, and continuing our work to increase service, are vital to the region’s business and tourism communities.”

“As a business owner with clients all over the world, I need to be able to access the major airports to get to my clients faster,” said Scott Emerine, Branding Iron Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations co-founder and co-owner. “I have several clients in

Dallas. In fact, that is where I am from. I now have the freedom to quickly connect with my customers in Dallas and throughout the West Coast. Flying TRI is fast, efficient, and cost effective. In today’s fast-paced business environment, having the direct flight to DFW really enables me to get business done from the Tri-Cities region. I do not need to relocate. I am just one flight way from anywhere in the world I need to be.”

American Airlines offers nonstop service to Charlotte and Dallas-Fort Worth from TRI, providing almost 300 one-stop connections. Flights can be booked on the www.triflight.com booking engine or directly with American at www.aa.com.