West Virginia Yeager International Airport launches ‘Behind the Journey’ campaign

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — Every passenger traveling through the airport has a story and a meaningful reason to be heading to their destination.

But most passengers don’t know the work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure they get there safely.

‘Behind the Journey’ is West Virginia International Yeager Airport’s campaign that helps passengers get a better understanding of airport operations and adds transparency and education to the travel experience.

The operations department is up early at 4 a.m. to search for foreign objects or debris that could create a dangerous situation for an aircraft.

“Our first job in the morning is to do a sweep of the entire airfield, the runway and the taxiways, just to make sure that there’s nothing on there that could puncture an aircraft tire or be sucked into an engine,” Joe Belcher, operations specialist, said.

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Once the runway is clear and safe, passengers can enjoy their flight with peace of mind.

Elizabeth Lynn, who flies to New Jersey once a month for work on Breeze Airways, says she loves the experience she has at a regional airport.

“One experience I had, I didn’t get here in time. I have to check my bag. And they were nice enough to actually take my checked bag down and let it in for me because I showed up a little late,” Lynn said.

Ned and Hercules are working hard to keep birds away from the runway and brighten up a passenger’s day.

“They will also go through the terminal. They’ll visit employees. They’ll also visit any type of passengers that are in the lobby. They’ll do meet and greets. They do a lot of things. They stay pretty busy throughout the day,” Blecher said.

Paige Withrow, marketing officer at CRW, says the campaign educates passengers on how the airport systems work.

“It’s important for passengers to know what happens behind the scenes so that they know who to contact if something goes wrong while they’re traveling. So if their baggage is delayed, they know to contact their airline. If they have an issue during their travel, don’t know exactly which vendor to contact,” Withrow said.

There are QR codes throughout the terminals for passengers to fill out surveys about their experience.

The campaign runs until June 30.

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