Waterloo is only the third community to be selected for the special DOT designation. Last year's winner, Dothan, Ala., Regional Airport, managed to increase air service and expand an industrial park.

Dothan, a community in far southeast Alabama that is near Fort Rucker, won a $200,000 grant to increase its marketing and underwrite new air service. Airport Manager Art Morris cannot credit either the federal grant or involvement in the special zone as the sole reason for his community's success.

"It got ASA (Atlantic Southeast Airlines) excited about us. As an indirect benefit, ASA added an additional flight," Morris said. ASA added one more ATR-72 flight to the six RJ and turboprop flights already at the airport.

The airport tapped the grant to market the new ASA flight as well as the airport. Morris said enplanements were up 14 percent over 2003. When the airport embarked on the marketing campaign, he said, it was hoping for a 5 percent improvement.

An air service task force, which has been guiding improvements at the airport for the last several years, has used the grant and the special designation as "just another tool to get the attention of other carriers." Dothan has now managed to "get its foot in the door" to talk to other carriers about starting service. However, he said, these conversations have yet to progress to formal talks.

"There has been some expansion of existing industrial facilities at the airport. I don't know if these have anything to do with the designation," Morris said. "The DOT added more marketing muscle power. It could be a contributing factor. I don't care if there is a single reason or 100 reasons, our goal is to get industry to develop and expand in this area."

Pemco World Air Services has completed a major expansion of its maintenance facility along the Dothan runway. In addition, FlightSafety International also expanded its airport facility. FlightSafety provides military aircraft training in Dothan, primarily to the helicopter pilots at the nearby Fort Rucker army aviation base.

>>Contact: Art Morris, Dothan, (334) 983-8100.<<