More East Coast connections on the way

The press release mixed good news

and bad news.

On one hand, National Airlines confirmed

last week it will add four flights a day

between Reno and Las Vegas, and the airline

said the additional flights will open better

access between Reno and the East Coast.

In the same press release, however,

National said it will temporarily discontinue

its service between Las Vegas and Chicago's

Midway Airport and will postpone its

return to Ronald Reagan Washington

National Airport.

The company, however, continues to offer

eastbound connections through Las Vegas to

Newark, Washington Dulles, Philadelphia,

West Palm Beach, Miami and Dallas.

That's what matters to officials at Reno-

Tahoe International Airport.

"The greater reach we have with onestop

service, the better off we are," said

Adam Mayberry, the airport's manager of

public affairs.

National's release emphasized that its

problems at Midway and Washington

National are temporary.

At Chicago, it said, service will resume

after airport construction is complete and

National can offer a better flight schedule.

The company provides two daily nonstop

roundtrips between Las Vegas and Midway.

Service to Washington National,

which was scheduled to resume Oct. 3,

has been delayed by changes in the delivery

of aircraft, said Mark Suman,

National's senior vice president for

strategic planning. The airline makes one

roundtrip a day from Las Vegas to

Ronald Reagan Washington National.

National Airlines spokesman Dik

Shimizu said the company believes traffic

on the new route will be a good mix of longdistance

travelers making connections into

Reno and local travelers between Reno and

Las Vegas.

The 70- minute flights will leave Reno at

7 a.m., 10:10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 8:40 p.m.

They'll arrive in Reno from Las Vegas at

9:10 a.m., 1 p.m., 7:40 p.m. and 11:15 p.m.

Besides, Shimizu noted with a chuckle,

the new service will be just in time for

the annual UNLV-UNR football game at

Las Vegas.