MARTINSBURG — The Altoona-Blair County Airport does not yet have final passenger numbers from Contour Airlines for March, airport manager Tracy Plessinger said Wednesday.

Contour’s overall completion rate for March was 100%, Plessinger said, adding he believes March was a good month for the airport.

Airport officials also did not have Avis/Budget sales numbers prior to Wednesday’s airport authority meeting.

However, Plessinger told the board that March was a “good month,” with an additional increase of 28 rental vehicles sold year over year.

Avis/Budget Manager Nick Bechtel was not present during Wednesday’s meeting. However, in his written report, Bechtel noted Easter provided a busy weekend for the airport.

Airport officials said they expect an increase in rental vehicle sales with Penn State University’s graduation week and the spring events leading up to it.

Plessinger said La Fiesta’s sales for March were up 9% from February and down 13% from 2025. Coffee Coop’s sales were also up 8% from February and down 9% year over year, he said.

Plessinger said the Blair County Alliance for Business and Economic Growth is planning to launch a trial shuttle service to provide transportation to and from local hotels to attractions, restaurants and events on Friday and Saturday evenings, with a shuttle from the airport to local hotels Sunday evenings.

The response to this program will determine whether it becomes a permanent service for the area, Plessinger told the airport authority, noting the effort is part of the alliance’s First Frontier marketing efforts.

According to Plessinger, Friday and Sunday are the airport’s two biggest flight days, so there’s potential for the program to do well at the airport, he said.

Plessinger said the shuttle service isn’t expected to begin until after the Alliance finishes its marketing details for the program, which he said will be later this year. The service will not be open to the public and will be limited to people staying at hotels to use, he said.

An attempt to reach Steve McKnight, the Alliance’s president and chief executive officer, after the meeting was not successful.

The only agenda item the airport authority voted on was a motion to approve payments from the airport’s general fund account for airport operations in the amount of $34,638.32.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.