Celebrating the proud heritage that all Americans share, the Exchange Club of the Quad Cities will rededicate the Freedom Shrine at the Quad City International Airport in Moline on Monday,
April 30, at 1:30 PM. The program will take place at the Freedom Shrine in the connecting corridor near baggage claim, and will feature remarks by U.S. Representative Bobby Shilling (17^th Congressional District of Illinois.)  The public is welcome to attend.

The Freedom Shrine, donated by the Exchange Club of the Quad Cities in 2004, is a set of permanently mounted plaques of original documents, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States and the Gettysburg Address, that were vital to the founding and development of the United States.  The purpose of the Freedom Shrine is to give everyone the opportunity to see and read for themselves the words and actions that marked momentous turning points in our great nation.  They are evidence of the strength and courage of our forefathers and such a public display allows the public to read the immortal words of inspired Americans who so decisively changed the course of history.

More than 12,000 Freedom Shrines have been dedicated in schools, military installations and government buildings since the program began in 1949.  In the Quad Cities, the Exchange Club has installed a Freedom Shrine in the Silvis Library, East Moline City Hall, and Eagle Ridge School, among many others.  If your school or government building is interested in having a Freedom Shrine or want to know more about the Freedom Shrine, call Ralph Wilshusen at 755-2975. 

The Exchange Club has been in the local community for more than 40 years and strives to make the Quad Cities a better place to live through programs of service in Americanism, Community Service, Youth Activities, and its national project, the prevention of child abuse.  The club meets on the first and third Thursday of each month at The Windmill Restaurant, East Moline, IL.

Six Month Project Was Part of $34 Million In Airfield Improvements

MOLINE, ILLINOIS         Rehabilitation of the main 10,000 ft. runway at the Quad City International Airport, known as 9/27 is just days away from final completion.  A ceremony today featuring Dr. Susan Shea, Director of Aeronautics for Illinois, Susan Schalk, Airports Division Manager, Great Lakes region for the FAA, a representative from Senator Durbin's office, and other area dignitaries will commemorate this milestone with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 12:00 noon.  The ceremony will take place on the airfield near the "bulls-eye" where three of the airport runways intersect.  The rehabilitated runway 9/27 will feature 47,000 cubic yards of new concrete.  Paved asphalt shoulders on each side of 9/27 are an added safety enhancement.

Construction started in mid-April, and all three runways have been shut down for the past six months.  During this time a temporary runway of 6,500 feet in length was used (runway 10/28.)  The project remained on target throughout the season and will be completed one month ahead of schedule.  Planning for this major phase began in 2007, and encompassed $34 million in total airfield improvements.  Funding for the improvements has come from local, state and federal resources.  "The Quad City International Airport is a critical transportation link that is key to the region's economy," said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL).  "This runway will help put the airport in the strongest possible position to compete for better air service and aviation development projects and contribute to the long term ability of the Quad City Airport to serve travelers safely, securely, and efficiently.  It is a great example of Recovery Act funding at work."

Bruce Carter, Director of Aviation says "Planning for this project started in 2007.  We are finishing the third stage of a four-stage plan and we are very pleased with the cooperation that was achieved through the efforts of the FAA, the Division of Aeronautics, the engineers and contractors.  Hundreds of jobs were created in the fields of concrete, asphalt, earthwork, electrical, and trucking.  This infrastructure improvement will take us well into the future." Carter adds, "While today is ceremonial in nature, we are ready to open all three of our runways to arrivals and departures next weekend.  This is an exciting time in history for the Quad City International Airport and for our travelers."

The fourth and final phase of the overall project will be completed next year, when the temporary runway used during the construction period converts to a taxiway, which will be called Taxiway P "Papa."  
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(Moline/Quad Cities)  A small private Cessna aircraft which originated from Chicago-Midway, landed today at the Quad City International Airport at approximately 11:00 a.m. with two passengers aboard.  Upon landing, their aircraft exited the runway and flipped into the snow, causing only minor injuries.  The pilot from Missouri and one passenger from Kansas were taken to a local hospital.  Our first priority was tending to the passengers.  Our second priority then became removing the aircraft from its location, in order to re-open our main runway to commercial traffic (arrivals and departures.) This caused a handful of delays for commercial airline arrivals and departures late this morning and into the noon hour.

The main runway at the QCIA re-opened for commercial arrivals and departures shortly after 1:00 p.m.  There were four commercial aircraft diversions to other regional airports while the runway was closed.  Three of the four inbound aircraft relocated back to the QCIA once the main airport runway re-opened.  One inbound flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul diverted to Cedar Rapids, but did not relocate to the Quad Cities.  However, there was out-bound aircraft for those Minneapolis-St. Paul passengers who were waiting to depart here in the Quad Cities.

Officials at the Quad City International Airport would like to thank all affected travelers for their patience today.  Officials and public safety personnel attended to this matter as quickly as possible, with safety for all in mind during this process.

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325 Daily Seats to Atlanta Remain

MOLINE, IL (August 10, 2010) -- Late this morning, the Metropolitan Airport Authority was officially notified by AirTran Airways that service would be discontinued from Moline to Atlanta, effective November 30, 2010. Service to Orlando, the world's most popular tourist destination, will continue with four non-stop flights per week.

AirTran will begin new non-stop service from the Quad Cities to Fort Myers, FL beginning in the first quarter of 2011. The flight schedule for the Fort Myers service has not yet been announced. Preliminary discussions indicate Fort Myers service would be on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, complimenting the Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday service to Orlando.

AirTran's difficult decision comes after years of strong competition in the Moline/Atlanta marketplace. Delta continues to offer five daily non-stop flights to and from Atlanta on 65-seat aircraft with first class options, convenient flights times, low matching fares and strong global connection opportunities with over 1,000 departures to 226 non-stop destinations from Atlanta.

"Although we are disappointed with AirTran's decision regarding Atlanta," says Bruce Carter, Director of Aviation, "we are pleased that they will be maintaining service to Orlando and adding a new non-stop destination for our Fort Myers passengers."

The Airport Authority continues to explore new non-stop opportunities with AirTran, American, United and Delta, as well as advocating bringing additional new low-cost carriers into the marketplace. The Quad City International Airport remains a strong regional competitive choice for nearly one million travelers annually, with non-stop service to eight major hubs.

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