The Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) will host its Inaugural “JAXEX RUNWAY 5K” at Jacksonville Executive at Craig Airport (JAXEX) on Saturday, June 8, for a day of community, exercise and supporting local military families.

The event will feature a 5K run beginning at 7:30 a.m. and a one-mile “Fun Run” at 8:30 a.m. A portion of both race courses will include the airport runway at JAXEX (which will be closed to air traffic during the event).

The Greater Jacksonville Area USO provides support and services to local military members and their families. Proceeds from the event will be presented to the USO later this year during the dedication of the James E. Craig Memorial Pavilion at JAXEX. Craig, the namesake of the airport, was a Jacksonville native killed during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

 “The JAA is thrilled to support our troops and their families through our first-ever 5K event,” JAXEX Airport Manager Tiffany Gillem said. “We’re so proud of our local military and appreciate all of the sacrifices they make to keep our country safe. They’re all heroes.”  

 “This 5K on the runway is unlike any other in the community,” JAA’s Director of External Affairs Michael Stewart said. “We are confident that this race will make for a fun, inspiring and unforgettable morning.”

For more information and to register for the Inaugural JAXEX RUNWAY 5K events, visit www.jaxexrunway5k.com.  Register before June 1 to take advantage of the discounted entry fee of $20 for the 5K and $15 for the “Fun Run.”  The 5K registration fee will increase to $30 the day of the race. Space is limited for this event. 

For more information about JAXEX, visit flyjaxex.com.

March 26, 2013

Southwest Airlines’ nonstopservice to Chicago’s Midway Airport, originally slated to begin on September 29^th,will now kick-off on Sunday, June 3rd.  

The service will depart Jacksonville at 8:15 a.m., arriving in Chicago at 9:50 a.m. The flight fromMDW will depart at 6:40 p.m. and arrive in JAX at 9:55 p.m. The new start date would allowSouthwest to capitalize on the busy summer travel season.

This will be the first nonstop air service from JAX to Chicago’s Midway. Currently, Americanand United Airlines fly to Chicago’sO’Hare Airport from Jacksonville. 

For fares, reservations and more information on Southwest Airlines, visit theirwebsite at southwest.com. 

Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) has been named the fifth best airport in North America for airport service quality. This extraordinary recognition comes from Airports Council International (ACI) through its annual Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards for 2012.
                          
“We strive for superior customer service at all of our airports, but it is especially rewarding to earn such a distinguished award at JAX where we service more than five million passengers a year,” said JAA Executive Director and CEO Steve Grossman. “Our high standard of quality customer service is evident throughout the JAX experience with hundreds of helpful and friendly employees and volunteers, information resources and tools such as outlets for charging electronic devices and free Wi-Fi.”

The ASQ Awards have become the world's leading airport passenger satisfaction benchmark with more than 275 airports participating. The ASQ Awards recognize and reward the best airports in the world based on ACI's ASQ passenger satisfaction survey and represent an opportunity to celebrate the commitment of airports worldwide to continually improve the passenger   experience.

"This is an exciting time for airports. As airports and their operators increasingly accept the positive correlation between passenger satisfaction and airport revenues, we see more and more airports striving to meet, and in some cases exceed, the levels of customer service that their passengers expect,” said ACI World Director General Angela Gittens.
 
Other North American Airports awarded for top airport service quality include Indianapolis International Airport (IND), Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW), Tampa International Airport (TPA) and Sacramento International Airport (SMF).                                         

For more information about JAX, visit www.flyjacksonville.com.

Michael Stewart 
Director, External Affairs 
JacksonvilleAviation Authority 
Ph: (904) 741-2721 
Cell: (904) 945-6300 

Website: www.flyjacksonville.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Southwest Airlines Announces New, Nonstop Service from Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) to Chicago’s Midway Airport

JACKSONVILLE, FL - March 4, 2013 –The Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) today announced that SouthwestAirlines will begin daily scheduled service from JAX to Chicago’s MidwayAirport (MDW) beginning September 29, 2013.

The service will depart Jacksonville at 4:50p.m., arriving in Chicagoat approximately 6:20 p.m. The flight from MDW will depart at 12:10 p.m. andarrive in JAX at 3:25 p.m. 

This will be the first nonstop air service from JAX to Chicago’s Midway. Currently, American andUnited Airlines fly to Chicago’s O’Hare Airportfrom Jacksonville. 

“We are thankful Southwest added this additional nonstop flight,” said BarbaraHalverstadt, Interim Director of Marketing. “Not only does this give businessand leisure travelers another option when flying to Chicago, but it also offers strongercompetition, which often leads to lower fares.” 

For fares, reservations and more information on Southwest Airlines, visit theirwebsite at southwest.com. 

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February 28, 2013 – With yesterday's announcement that the Air Force has awarded Sierra Nevada Corp. and Embraer a $427 million contract to build light attack aircraft, the Jacksonville Aviation Authority officials say the agency is “ready and eager” to move the project forward.
    
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer has an agreement with JAA to assemble the A-29 Super Tucano aircraft at Jacksonville International Airport (JAX). The assembly facility will employ an initial 50 high wage jobs.
 
“This is great news for Jacksonville and our growing aviation industry,” said JAA Executive Director/CEO Steve Grossman.  “We are ready and eager to work with the Sierra Nevada/Embraer team to launch this much anticipated project at JAX.”
                                                             
As part of its lease agreement with Embraer, JAA will spend $1.2 million renovating a 41,574-square-foot airplane hangar, scheduled to be completed in April.

The Jacksonville Aviation Authority Police Department (JAAPD) announced that it has entered into an agreement with iyeTek, LLC, to place traffic crash reports on-line.  Ecrash.lexisnexis Accident Report System was selected to serve as the Authority’s traffic crash insurance and citizen request technology.

Ecrash.lexisnexis is an internet based application that was developed to help law enforcement agencies and insurance companies manage and access traffic crash reports in a more efficient manner. Through the use of online document management technology, crash reports will be available 24 hours a day once completed by the reporting officer.

Like most law enforcement agencies across the country, the JAAPD has been pursuing an alternative to the hardcopy reporting, storing, and servicing of report requests. Benefits of the ecrash.lexisnexis system include:

•    Allowing multi-jurisdictional data sharing and searching
•    Facilitating web accessible availability of crash reports for insurance companies, officers and citizens
•    Removing the police department from the billing and request fulfillment process
•    Providing officers and investigators access to crash information for all agencies on the system

“We believe internet viewing and printing will significantly reduce the time it takes for insurance companies and citizens to obtain copies of traffic crash reports,” Director of Aviation Security Wayne Clark, Sr., noted. "It is our desire to provide a level of convenience to anyone wishing to view and print police reports in their home or business.” The JAAPD annually files nearly 200 traffic crash reports.

This new on-line method will provide a more expedient method for obtaining traffic crash report information.

•    Reports are accessible from work or home, 24 hours a day via the internet
•    Saves citizens the hassles of driving downtown, paying to park, and standing in line
•    Reports are formatted as a PDF, making them easy to view, save, print and email
•    Finding a report takes only a few seconds
•    Reports are usually available within 24 hours of being completed, excluding holidays and weekends
•    Reports cannot be modified, maintaining report integrity
•    Provides clear, high-resolution images of each report for optimal viewing and printing

Filed reports can be accessed on ecrash.lexisnexis.com, for a nominal fee.