Mississippi on my mind by Laura Jackson

Mississippi, a state located in the southern USA, has been on my mind this week. I have been listening to a book I recently downloaded to my iPod – The Help by Kathryn Stockett – that is set in 1960s Mississippi.

The voices of the readers have truly brought the book’s characters alive in my mind, and I have found myself on a couple of occasions this week drifting ever so slightly into a southern accent.
As a result, this week’s analysis will focus on an overview of air service in present-day Mississippi. The state is home to seven airports that offer scheduled commercial air service, as described below.
Jackson-Evers International Airport (JAN), located in the state capital, is the busiest airport in the state. With an average of 36 daily flight departures, JAN accounts for just over half Mississippi’s total daily flight departures. Passengers can reach 11 nonstop destinations from JAN on five airlines. Delta ranks as JAN’s largest carrier in terms of daily flights, and the airport also has significant service by low-cost carrier Southwest.
Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport (GPT), situated on the Gulf of Mexico in the southern part of the state, is the second-busiest airport in Mississippi, accounting for nearly one-third of the state’s flight departures. Like Jackson, the largest carrier at GPT is Delta. But Gulfport’s resident low-cost carrier is AirTran, not Southwest.
Three of Mississippi’s airports are part of the subsidized Essential Air Service (EAS) program. Under this program, the U.S. Department of Transportation determines the minimum level of air service, and airlines have an opportunity to bid on providing flights to a hub airport.
Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport (PIB): Previously operated by Northwest, Delta now provides twice-daily service to Memphis using 34-seat Saab 340 aircraft. The airport’s PIB code refers to the facility’s former name – Pine Belt Regional Airport.
Meridian Regional Airport (MEI) in Meridian: Delta operates twice-daily service to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, the world’s busiest airport.
Mid Delta Regional Airport (GLH) in Greenville: Like the flights at Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport, Delta took over service from Northwest, operating twice-daily service to Memphis using 34-seat Saab 340 aircraft.
Mississippi’s two remaining airports have similar air service profiles. Both Golden Triangle Regional Airport (GTR) in Columbus and Tupelo Regional Airport (TUP) in Tupelo have flights to Atlanta and Memphis. In addition, both airports are now only served by one carrier as a result of the Delta-Northwest merger.
On average, 70 flights take off each day from Mississippi’s seven commercial service airports. Delta ranks as the largest carrier in Mississippi, accounting for half of the state’s flights.
Source: Official Airline Guide (OAG) Schedule Tapes for January 2010 only, unless otherwise noted; Delta service includes Northwest; flights rounded to nearest whole number; US Department of Transportation, Office of Aviation Analysis.