Syracuse terminal parking update

Syracuse Airport recently added new machines that enable one to pay for one's parking before leaving the terminal. These machines which accept cash and credit cards are located with the terminal building. One can still pay on the way out at the parking booth but this new system allows a traveler to avoid waiting a line with their engine idling. The machine stamps the ticket a certain way to avoid someone paying for there parking early and trying to beat the system
US Airways 757
A US Airways 757-200 visited SYR recently carrying the Pitt Panthers Football team who subsequently beat SU in the Carrier Dome. It flew up on the 26th and left on the 27th.
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/AWE9114
Cape Air
Cape Air recently started 3 daily 9-seater Cessna 402 flights between Watertown and Albany. They also fly from Albany to Ogdensburg and Massena with the same frequency. Unlike previous years these flights aren't shared so that it's just a one segment flight from point a to b and not onto point c.

Miami Air

While driving past the general aviation area of SYR, is saw a Miami Air 737-800 parked next to one of the hangers. According to flightaware, it flew up from University Park airport in State College, PA a few days ago and flew back down this evening (Saturday, September 13th). It carried the Penn State football team which beat SU 55-13 in Carrier Dome.
Allegiant Air MD-80
Parked in font of the Miami Air 738 was an Allegiant Air MD-80 which according to flightaware flew up from Greenville/Spartanburg, SC on Friday and flew back there Saturday evening. Why it was here is a mystery and it's not sports related. I think it might be a group that was up here from SC from some reason and they chartered a plane to get them here. Normally whenever Allegiant air is here it's on gambling related charters and the planes don't spend much time here and yet this one spent over 24 hours here.
Airlines ceasing operations
Three airlines, Xl Airways of the UK, Zoom Airlines of Canada and the UK, and Futura Airlines of Spain have recently suspended operations. This is due to the global recent fuel price hikes and economic downturn that has left some companies (and individuals) struggling to pay their bills and as result some them fail. This is somewhat similar to what happened after 9/11/01 when the resulting drop in air travel forced many companies to go under or seek bankruptcy protection with the Belgian airline SABENA and the Swiss Swissair being among those that didn't make it.

More Dash-8's, less Saab-340's

As of this month there are only 3 Saab-340 flights a day out of Syracuse and these operate Us Airways Express's flights to Boston. they've been replaced on the La Guardia route by Dash-8's which seat 3 more people per plane. In the past Saab's have operated flights to Hartford, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Newark, New York-JFK (a flight which I took a few times) and a few other routes from SYR. They have been operated by US Airways Express, Business Express, and American Eagle on flights to and from SYR.
Plane crashes
There have been a rash of plane crashes recently. A 737-200 of Itek Air crashed while it was trying to return to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan airport and burned out killing 65 and injuring the remaining 25 people. Another 737-200 overran the runway while landing at a small airport in Indonesia injuring 2 people on the ground and severely damaging if not writing off the plane. A Conviasa 737-200 which was being delivered to a new owner in Ecuador hit a mountain killing all 3 people aboard. Finally a few days ago an Air Tahoma Convair-580 crashed in a field near Columbus, Ohio killing all 3 people aboard. All off these accidents happened in separate places and to different operators and right now there appears to be no link to them.