密西西比州杰克逊机场争取芝加哥直飞航线 100万美元联邦拨款助谈判
密西西比州杰克逊市机场官员正在与航空公司磋商，为杰克逊-梅德格·威利·埃弗斯国际机场（Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport）争取开通直飞芝加哥的航线，一笔100万美元的联邦拨款将为这一努力提供支持。杰克逊市机场管理局首席执行官罗莎·贝克特（Rosa Beckett）10月26日（星期一）在管理局董事会会议上介绍了这一推进计划，目标是开通杰克逊与芝加哥两大机场中任意一个之间的航班。
贝克特强调，目前尚无任何航班得到确认，也没有开航日期。她的团队上周与一家航空公司举行了线上会议，并计划10月27日（星期二）前往一家航空公司总部面对面会谈。机场管理局通讯主任L·谢丽·迪恩（LSherie Dean）在会后拒绝透露正在接触的航空公司名称，称不希望影响谈判。
贝克特说，机场管理局已获得这笔100万美元的拨款，以帮助吸引芝加哥航线。该拨款最初只限定于连接杰克逊与芝加哥奥黑尔国际机场的航线；但当局10月26日获批，可以同时争取飞往奥黑尔或中途国际机场的航班，扩大了与航空公司谈判的选择。迪恩把这笔拨款的作用比作对一家初创企业的支持，帮助一条新航线在开通头几年站稳脚跟；她说：「这让我们在航空公司眼中非常、非常有吸引力。」
Jackson, Mississippi Airport Pursues Nonstop Chicago Route; $1 Million Federal Grant Aids Negotiations
Airport officials in Jackson, Mississippi, are talking with airlines about bringing nonstop flights to Chicago, with a $1 million federal grant to help support the effort. Jackson Municipal Airport Authority CEO Rosa Beckett outlined the push on Monday, October 26, telling the authority's Board of Commissioners that officials are pursuing service between Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport and either of Chicago's two major airports.
Beckett emphasized that no service is confirmed and there is no start date. Her team held a virtual meeting with an airline the previous week and planned an in-person meeting at an airline's headquarters on Tuesday, October 27. After the meeting, the airport's Director of Communications, LSherie Dean, declined to identify the airlines, saying she did not want to jeopardize the discussions.
Beckett said the airport authority received the $1 million grant to help attract Chicago service. Originally, the funding was limited to a route connecting Jackson with Chicago O'Hare International Airport; on October 26, officials received approval to pursue service to either O'Hare or Midway International Airport, expanding their options in talks with airlines. Dean compared the grant's role to support for a startup business, helping cushion the early years as a new route gets established. "It makes us look very, very attractive to the airlines," Dean said.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：杰克逊市中心全景。图片：chmeredith，CC BY 2.0，取自维基共享资源。
