First Vision flight arrives at NFIA

On Friday, Dec. 17, the first Vision Airline's flight will arrive at the Niagara Falls International Airport at 11:55 a.m., bringing elected officials, media and tourism people from Okaloosa County in northwest Florida who will be spending the weekend touring Niagara Falls and Buffalo.

The Florida group is scheduled to depart from the NFIA on Sunday, Dec. 19. During their stay here, they will be documenting their experiences and taking their stories back to northwest Florida, where the airline is based, to make the case that there are a lot of fun and interesting things to do here and to promote this area as a vacation destination.

"This is all about getting people to come to Niagara Falls as opposed to people just traveling north to south," according to Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Director of Public Affairs C. Douglas Hartmayer.

Coming from Florida will be Wayne Harris, chairman, Board of County Commissioners; Randall Wise, mayor, City of Niceville; Jim Curry, county administrator; Greg Donovan, airport director; Mike Stenson, airport business development manager; Laura Hussy, WEAR-TV (ABC) Pensacola; Meagan O'Halloran, WJHG (NBC), Panama City; Dusty Ricketts, business editor, Northwest Florida Daily News; and Ted Corcoran, president, Fort Walton Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

They will be met by Paul Dyster, mayor, City of Niagara Falls; William Ross, chairman, Niagara County Legislature; Michael Casale, deputy commissioner, Niagara County Center for Economic Development; Deanna Alterio-Brennen, president and CEO, Niagara USA Chamber; Henry Sloma, acting NFTA Chairman; John Percy, president and CEO, Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp.; and Wheatfield Supervisor Robert Cliffe.