PITTSTON TWP. — At last week’s meeting of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport’s Bi-County Airport Board, Beth Coslett, air service development director, gave a report on passenger activity.

Coslett said passenger enplanements for the month of September 2026 increased 3% to 20,810, up from 20,215 in the month of September 2025.

Coslett said, in August, zero departing flights were cancelled and zero arriving flights were cancelled.

“The numbers are good,” Coslett said, presenting several charts that showed each airline’s numbers.

Breeze Airways showed an increase of 3,569 passengers boarded Breeze planes at AVP in 2026 over 2025; American Airlines was up 683 and Ascension increased by 317; United Airlines was down 3,925.

Coslett said she reached out to United and was told that in addition to the rise in fuel and ticket prices, more delays and cancellations due to weather & ATC and the limitations at Chicago (ORD) added to the decrease across the network and not any single station.

“We aren’t concerned as we remain optimistic with future schedules at this moment in time for all our airlines,” Coslett said.

Overall, Coslett said 2026 ranked as the third highest for enplanements at AVP in history with 20,810, with more than two months left in the year. The highest year on record was 2019, with 24,305, followed by 2018 with 22,987, Coslett reported.

Military Appreciation Room gets new furniture

Dana Monahan, marketing and communications director at the airport, reported that a new couch and two new recliners were donated to the Military Appreciation Room through Bob’s Furniture and Pride Mobility.

Monahan showed slides of the new furniture and invited the board to visit it after the meeting.

“The furniture that was in the room was part of the original items donated when the room was dedicated in 2015 and have served us well,” Monahan said.

Monahan thanked several for the furniture, including members of the “I would like to start by saying thank you to the Blue Star Mothers of NEPA, who were present at the meeting: Michele Gripp, D.M.D.; Kerry O’Grady, Lori Bishop, Maria Parra, and the entire organzation. Monahan also thanked The Welby family, in honor of Master Sergeant Paul Welby.

“The Blue Star Mothers & the Welby Family came together and donated the Canyon Walnut 83-inch, Bluetooth audio power reclining console love-seat that was purchased from Bob’s Discount Furniture in Wilkes-Barre,” Monahan said. “We are so grateful to all of them for donating to our Military Room.”

Monahan said the Blue Star Mothers of NEPA PA-14, have been donating all of the beverages, snacks, plastic-ware, travel items, etc. to the Military Appreciation Room since 2019.

Monahan thanked Pride Mobility of Duryea and Angel Spencer, an employee at Pride.

“Angel reached out to ask them if they would like to donate two new lift chairs for our Military Appreciation Room and they were more than happy to take part,” Monahan said. “She is also part of the Blue Star Mothers of NEPA PA-14. We are so grateful for their donations of the two Viva Lift Radiance Recliner Chairs to our Military Appreciation Room. I must say, I tested these chairs and the loveseat and if I had these at home, I would never want to get out of them. So can you imagine when our military passengers and their families come and visit the room, they probably feel the same way.”

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Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.