(Letter to the Editor - Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

Whatever airline serves the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport (PKB), codesharing with a major carrier such as American Airlines in Charlotte is essential.

Unfortunately, Contour Airline, our current carrier, lacks this convenience.

They also cannot use the shorter crosswind runway 10/28 at PKB. A safety concern on a snowy windy winter day.

Years ago, I flew for Crown Airways the U.S. Airways codesharing commuter serving the hub at Pittsburgh and have experienced the fear of sliding down an ice covered runway with a crosswind gusting to 40 knots!

Parkersburg’s airport is a terrific area asset now offering aircraft maintenance and flight instructing by professional employees at River Town Aviation

No airport in West Virginia has a second crosswind runway suitable for heavy jets, including the two airports at Columbus — John Glenn International and Rickenbacker.

Airplanes, like birds, prefer taking off and landing facing the wind.

Having a second long all-weather runway is like having Tom Brady as your backup quarterback!

Building the safest possible airport infrastructure is crucial for all utilizing the MOV Regional Airport, especially if wanting to entice industry or attract a large reliable safety-minded carrier with east-west connections to large hubs.

Stanley Cole

Parkersburg