Restored Marathon flights culminate big effort
EDITOR:A miracle is about to occur at Florida Keys Marathon Airport: At 12:55 p.m. Feb. 15, Delta Airlines will arrive with 40 passengers on a nonstop flight from Atlanta. This inaugural flight will begin the first regularly scheduled air service to Marathon since April 2000.This miracle was made possible mostly through the efforts of one person, U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.The local governments of the Florida Keys and members of the community came together to form a coalition to support air service. The three-year initiative seemed to be successful. A U.S. Department of Transportation grant for airline revenue guarantees was obtained. Delta and Continental Airlines signed contracts to serve the airport. Additional government grants were obtained for airport security and to prepare the field for commercial service.
Not even Hurricane Wilma could sidetrack the effort even though her storm surge flooded the airport's passenger terminal.However, just 90 days before the first flights were to arrive, the airport staff was informed by the Transportation Security Administration that they did not have the resources to provide passenger screening for the new service. This disastrous decision threatened to stop the effort dead in its tracks because it was clear to both the community and the airlines that no screening meant no service.Everyone who had worked so hard the past three years to establish air service at Marathon knew that turning this TSA decision around was far beyond their capabilities. This was a job for Wonder Woman. So they called Ileana.
Using her golden lasso of truth, she began to wade through the federal bureaucracy. After she determined what the problems were, she immediately began to solve them. A very innovation solution was suggested. The result was a compromise that satisfied both the needs the TSA and the airport.On Dec. 1, Florida Keys Marathon Airport received formal notification that TSA will be providing screeners to that facility under the Screening Partnership Program.Watching our federal government at work over the course of the past six months has provided me with valuable insight into the system and how it functions. However, the most important thing that I have learned is that it does work, or as Ileana is fond of saying, “As long as we work together.”

Peter Horton,
director
Monroe County airports



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