Holiday quilt display set for Saturday at White Haven library

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Mayor elect George calls Mayor Leighton’s budget a ‘shell game,’ says nearly $2 million in bills not paid

PITTSTON TWP. &#8212; Plans by CommutAir to add 40 jets to its fleet should bode well for travelers at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.CommutAir operates United Express flights and uses turboprop service to Newark Liberty International Airport. Some of those flights will be switched to the 50-seat Embraer regional jets as they are put into service over the next few years, said Myrna Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for CommutAir based in South Burlington, Vermont.The first jet was received Monday in Albany, New York and will be put into service in April 2016, Rodriguez said. One jet a month will be sent out after that and two each month starting in early 2017. The jets will be based at the Washington Dulles International Airport and put into service for the Newark route, she said.&#8220;There will definitely be some crossover,&#8221; Rodriguez said Friday.Growth is the reason for the expansion of the fleet and CommutAir will continue to fly the turboprops, she said.Carl Beardsley, executive director at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, welcomed the news of the jets to the fleet.&#8220;Historically speaking, jets have been preferred by customers,&#8221; Beardsley said.The airport benefits by the additional seats on the jets. Depending upon the size, the turboprops seat 37 and 50 passengers. The regional jets already in service by ExpressJet, another United Express affiliate, seat 50, he said.Regional jets make up most of the local flights to and from Newark. In November, there were eight turboprops by CommutAir and 37 jets by ExpressJet, Beardsley said.Newark is a market serving not only commuters, but also people connecting to domestic and international flights, he said.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Jerry Lynottjlynott@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLNews</shirttailMeta></div>

Expansion of jet fleet could bode well for Wilkes-Barre/ScrantionA International Airport travelers