MONTOURSVILLE, Pa. --The brand new terminal at Williamsport Regional Airport is open for business.
It opened Monday morning with a 6:09 a.m. flight to Philadelphia.
The 30,000 square foot facility cost nearly $17 million and took months to build, taking the place of the old, smaller terminal.
"I just never thought I'd see it expanded like this, I'm excited. I'm hoping now it will put more flights in and out of the area, be more convenient and very modern,” said Shanon Cook of Jersey Shore.
Timothy Mello of Old Lycoming Township was the first passenger to check in at the new terminal and he marked the occasion with a special selfie.
"I've never flown out of here, you know, because it was more expensive. Seems like the prices went down, but anyway, used to drive to Harrisburg or Elmira, even Philadelphia,” he said.
Passengers say they also like that they can see the planes coming and going from inside the terminal, something they could not do in the old one.
Airport officials say there's state-of-the-art security here, too.
They are hopeful this place will draw in more flights and more options for travelers.
"We think this is really going to help our cause. The old building would never have done that, just was too antiquated to handle the passengers, the numbers of passengers and with all the new safety features, just couldn't do it over there,” said airport executive director Tom Hart.
“Well, the tickets were cheaper because of the dates we got it and it's convenient," said Daulton Hoff of Williamsport.
There are still some projects that need to be completed in the new terminal, including a glass canopy in the front.
The old terminal is slated for demolition in December to be replaced with a parking lot.