Wednesday, May 16, 2001 - 12:08 PM ET
(WBZ) A bitter and angry meeting in Bedford over more flights out of Hanscom
Field signals a growing resentment against expansion and the uphill battle
airlines will need to fight if they want to do business there, according to
the editor of the Boston Airport Journal.
"What we had there was a packed crowd of about 500 which took over the
meeting with pack mentality and forced the meeting to be canceled," editor
Bob Weiss told WBZ NewsRadio Wednesday. "They were chanting 'Fly away and
don't come back.'"
At the meeting at Bedford Town Hall Tuesday night, representatives from U.S.
Airways, Midway Airlines, and Pan-Am affiliate Boston and Maine Airways were
trying to present their plans for service out of Hanscom starting this
summer. But residents shouted down the airline executives and the meeting
fell apart.
It's another sign the opposition to commercial flights in the historic area
will not go away quietly, Weiss said.
"I think after last night it's pretty obvious that I just don't think
everybody's going to be able to get in there," he said. "Plus, the
facilities for scheduled service at Hanscom--waiting rooms, ticketing areas,
and everything--would have to be expanded."
Weiss did predict that, eventually, some airlines will offer commercial
service out of Hanscom.
© 2001, CBS Worldwide Inc. & CBS Mass Media Corporation
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