Commentary
SWANTON, Ohio—Twenty years ago, the Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport here in western Lucas County was abuzz with commuter traffic. The planes flying in and out were bigger, the fares were more competitive, and there was a multitude of options to choose from at this Midwest port city, located on the western tip of Lake Erie in the Buckeye State.
The airport began in 1955 as a civic-corporate effort to address the needs of the area. What was then called the Toledo Municipal Airport (now the Toledo Executive Airport) was perceived as inadequate to serve the booming post-World War II industrial city. Two years later, the Official Airline Guide showed there were 13 daily flights moving people in and out of the city. Twenty years later, nine major airlines were running several daily nonstop flights….