ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport wants to add new flights to one of the biggest hubs in the country.
The airport is in talks with American Airlines to add nonstop flights to and from Dallas.
Airport leaders plan to meet with American Airlines representatives in September to discuss the incentive packages the Roanoke airport has offered. If the deal goes through, the change wouldn't happen until at least next year.
Roanoke airport officials say most travelers fly west, so the new deal would put more seats on the market, which means cheaper tickets.
"It’s really a gamechanger for us in being able to link people into the national air network and get them where they need to go," said Brad Boettcher, director of marketing and air service development at the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport.
The airport just received a federal grant for nearly $230,000 to redo signs on the runways and upgrade lighting on the runways and taxiways.
Airport officials say the changes will save money and improve safety.
Construction is set to start later this summer and should be finished by the winter.