Media Requests
All requests for information, interviews, or to conduct media business on site anywhere on airport property, both for routine and for breaking news, should be directed to the CVG Airport media team. For inquiries or requests of a timely nature, please call the media line at 859-767-6397.
- Jan 25, 2021
Sun Country Airlines coming to CVG Airport with service between Cincinnati and Minneapolis
Erlanger, Ky (January 25, 2021) – The newest airline to serve Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) is Sun Country Airlines with nonstop service between Cincinnati (CVG) and Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) beginning May 14, 2021. The service will operate twice a week on Fridays and Sundays. One-way fares are as low as $39 and can be found at [suncountry.com](https://suncountry.com/deals).We’re excited to bring our commitment to great customer service and affordability to Cincinnati,” said Jude Bricker, chief executive officer, Sun Country Airlines. “We have no doubt that CVG passengers will enjoy our Midwest hospitality, comfortable amenities such as free streaming in-flight entertainment and reclining seats, all at ultra-low fares.”Sun Country Airlines is a low-cost airline offering an aircraft configuration of 186 seats with two seat options with [different amenities](http://www.suncountryview.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Briefing_Book_SCA_Traveler-Experience.pdf). The airline offers an onboard experience for all guests that includes free in-flight entertainment, as well as in-seat power at every seat on most aircraft. Travelers can also expect a complimentary soft drink service on every flight.“We’re thrilled to welcome Sun Country as the newest airline to serve CVG,” said Candace McGraw, chief executive officer, CVG. “Sun Country’s low-cost, nonstop service to Minneapolis paired with its cargo partnership with Amazon offers strong alignment with CVG and will benefit both the local traveler and our regional economy.”Minneapolis/St. Paul is a river city with fun things to do like the Mall of America, visit Prince’s home at Paisley Park, Walker Art Center, other museums, and outdoor activities.Sun Country is the 12th airline/tour operator at CVG Airport. About Sun CountrySun Country Airlines is a privately held company based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul. Founded by a small group of pilots and flight attendants in 1983, the award-winning airline has established itself as a leader in leisure travel over its 37 years of service. The airline encourages guests to ‘Get to Going’, the embodiment of the brand’s purpose to help customers travel more with low fares and safe, reliable, nonstop service to more than 50 amazing destinations across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The airline offers services from its Sun Country Charters and Sun Country Vacations divisions, and also operates a cargo business. About CVG Airport:The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) has been serving passengers since 1947. CVG welcomed more than 9.1 million passengers in 2019, a 2.7 percent increase over the year prior. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, CVG still offers the most nonstop destinations, airline choices, and the lowest average airfares in the region. As the 7th largest cargo airport in North America and home to the Amazon Air Hub and DHL Express Global Superhub, CVG is diversified in both passenger and cargo operations. With an annual impact of $6.8 billion on the local economy, the airport drives regional growth and remains a leader in innovation. Learn more about CVG and its response to COVID-19 at CVGairport.com/FlyHealthy.Read more - Jan 25, 2021
Local 12 / ABC: CVG announces a 12th airline coming to the airport
WKRC-Local 12 ABC News / January 25, 2021HEBRON, Ky. (WKRC) - The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is adding its 12th airline.Sun Country will provide nonstop flights to Minneapolis/St. Paul on Fridays and Saturdays beginning May 14.“We’re thrilled to welcome Sun Country as the newest airline to serve CVG,” said Candace McGraw, chief executive officer, CVG. “Sun Country’s low-cost, nonstop service to Minneapolis paired with its cargo partnership with Amazon offers strong alignment with CVG and will benefit both the local traveler and our regional economy.”People can visit the Mall of America or see Prince's home at Paisley Park.[FULL STORY HERE](https://local12.com/news/local/cvg-announces-a-12th-airline-coming-to-the-airport-cincinnati-hebron-boone-county-sun-country)Read more - Jan 19, 2021
CVG’s average airfare is good for local travelers
_According to latest U.S. DOT data, CVG has lowest airfares in the region_Erlanger, KY (January 19, 2021) ― For the last four years, CVG has consistently had the lowest airfares in the region saving passengers an average of $150 per ticket. The U.S. Department of Transportation released its average airfare ranking report for the third quarter of 2020, covering July through September. CVG has maintained its position as low-fare leader in the region providing the most nonstop flight options.CVG’s average fare of $220 in Q3 2020 was a 25-year low and outperformed the national average of $244. The airport’s official ranking was #81 of the top 100 U.S. airports. Airports are ranked from the highest average fare to the lowest average fare. Learn more on how the rankings are determined [here](https://cvgairport.com/about/on-the-horizon/going-behind-the-dollars-and-cents-on-airfares).Regional comparisons: CVG ranked #81 – average fare $220 Indianapolis (IND) ranked #67 – average fare $240 Columbus (CMH) ranked #61 – average fare $246 Louisville (SDF) ranked #56 – average fare $249 Dayton (DAY) ranked #14 – average fare $279While this reporting period was the second full quarter to see the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, CVG’s average airfare for the third quarter of 2020 represented a 31 percent decrease from Q3 2019.“With CVG’s airfares at a 25-year low and vaccine distribution on its way, it’s an opportune time to plan that trip,” said Candace McGraw, chief executive officer of CVG.Read more - Jan 12, 2021
The New York Times: Air Cargo Construction Is Booming, Thanks to Amazon
The New York Times / Keith Schneider / January 12, 2021Airports across the United States are devoting more space to freight shipments as online shopping surges in the pandemic.HEBRON, Ky. — Since the pandemic started nearly a year ago, 15,000 fewer people arrive and depart daily from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, known as CVG. Yet the 60 percent drop in passenger traffic is not so apparent on the airport’s four runways, which are handling a record amount of air cargo — nearly 4,000 tons a day.Ranked by the Federal Aviation Administration as the nation’s sixth-largest cargo airport, CVG’s standing is about to climb higher.Amazon Air, the e-commerce giant’s five-year-old cargo airline, is completing a 798,000-square-foot sorting center, seven-level parking structure and acres of freshly poured concrete to accommodate 20 aircraft. The new facility, under construction on a 640-acre site along the airport’s southern boundary, is scheduled to open in the fall. It represents about a third of the $1.5 billion, three-million-square-foot air cargo hub Amazon is committed to building at CVG.Construction is still underway at Amazon Air’s project at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. It is scheduled to open in the fall. Credit: Amazon“This hub is going to let us to get packages to customers faster,” Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and chief executive, said during the groundbreaking ceremony at CVG in May 2019. “That’s a big deal.”By far the largest air cargo construction project in the airport’s 74-year history, the mile-long facility will be the center of Amazon Air’s national air transport network, which now has more than 70 aircraft and hundreds of daily flights to 35 other cities in the United States. Last week, [Amazon announced the purchase of 11 Boeing 767-300 aircraft](https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amazon-continues-expand-its-transportation-fleet-purchased) as part of an effort to expand its fleet.The new building is a signal measure of Amazon’s influence as the largest online retailer and its dedication to fast delivery. Both have helped generate a wave of air cargo construction at airports across the United States.FedEx, the world’s largest air cargo carrier, handled an average of 6.2 million air packages a day last year, a 48 percent increase over 2016. The company just opened a $290 million, 51-acre project at the Ontario International Airport in Southern California. It features a 251,000-square-foot sorting facility, spacious concrete ramps, nine gates, 18 truck loading docks and the capacity to handle 12,000 packages an hour.UPS and Amazon also operate out of older buildings at the airport, which is handling 30 percent more cargo than it did in 2019. “There is a lot of consumer behavior that permanently changed in 2020,” said Mark A. Thorpe, the airport’s chief executive. “We’re seeing levels of cargo today that were expected in 2028.”Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, the second-largest air cargo airport in the United States after Memphis International Airport, is planning for $500 million in new freight and package handling and sorting facilities. The demand for more space by the airport’s cargo companies — among them Alaska Cargo & Cold Storage, 6A Aviation, FedEx, UPS and Amazon — is soaring. As of the end of September 2020, the airport reported that 2.3 million tons of cargo had touched down in Alaska, a 9 percent increase over the same nine-month period in 2019.At Chicago Rockford International, plans are underway to build a 90,000-square-foot cargo facility. As soon as it opens in the spring, the airport will start another 100,000-square-foot cargo project for DB Schenker, Emery Air and Senator International. Last year, Rockford completed a $22.3 million, 192,000-square-foot facility for Amazon, along with $14 million in concrete aprons sturdy enough for Boeing 747 aircraft.“The traffic in cargo is responsible for all the new demand at airports now,” said Rex J. Edwards, an industry analyst and vice president of the Campbell-Hill Aviation Group, a Northern Virginia consulting firm. “The cargo carriers want more airport space. They need room to park planes and facilities that meet next-day delivery requirements. That is the evolution of the business now.”Before the pandemic, e-commerce sales were growing more than 10 percent annually, pushing total air cargo to 12 million tons last year, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, a unit of the Transportation Department. Federal analysts project that air cargo will reach 45 million tons annually by midcentury. But executives at big air shippers, airports and airplane manufacturers say that the pandemic altered online commerce so substantially that the industry will hit that mark a decade sooner.Three years ago, Philadelphia International Airport paid $54.5 million for 135 undeveloped acres next to the airfield. The airport is now developing a master plan for the ground that includes 1.5 million square feet of cargo handling facilities. “We knew, prepandemic, that cargo was only going to increase,” said Stephanie Wear, the airport’s director of air service development and cargo services.For the time being, Amazon is the largest influence in new airport cargo construction.To serve the 14 immense fulfillment centers it built in California near San Bernardino and Riverside, Amazon established a western hub at San Bernardino International Airport. This month, it is finishing a 658,000-square-foot handling and sorting center and two smaller 25,000-square-foot buildings at the 79-year-old airport, which started as a World War II military airfield. The $300 million project includes parking and gates to handle 14 aircraft and 26 flights daily, said Mark Gibbs, the airport’s director of aviation.No airport is receiving more attention from Amazon Air than Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky. The company liked what it heard from airport executives, who spent the last decade diversifying CVG’s revenue and recovering from a fiscal catastrophe by recruiting air carriers and related companies to its 7,700-acre airport. [FULL STORY HERE](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/business/air-cargo-airports-amazon.html)Read more - Jan 11, 2021
SkySquad launches at CVG Airport
Erlanger, Ky. (January 11, 2021) \- Hello Airport Assistant. Goodbye, airport stress! This week, [Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport](https://www.cvgairport.com/terminal/airport-assistance-services) (CVG) is launching SkySquad - a reservation-based curated service to improve the airport experience for anyone who needs an extra hand from curb to gate and back again.Families and caregivers with young children, seniors, and individuals in need of language services can book a personal airport assistant to help navigate the airport, carry bags, car seats, strollers and more.Please note throughout Covid-19, all assistants wear cloth facial coverings, socially distance when possible, use hand sanitizer throughout the airport journey and adhere to a staff checklist to ensure they are free of Covid-19 symptoms and exposure.Upon booking at [www.theskysquad.com](http://www.theskysquad.com/), a SkySquad assistant meets the traveler at their car (for departing passengers) or plane (for arriving passengers). The assistant then provides an extra hand with navigating the check-in process, assisting through security screening and getting settled at the gate. Services are also offered for return flights to navigate getting off the plane, obtaining luggage at baggage claim and securing ground transportation.SkySquad’s multi-lingual assistants are background checked and security screened by the TSA and FBI and issued badges by the airport. Their training includes customer delivery standards to anticipate needs and assist and expediate through airport processes. While waiting at the gate, SkySquad assistants can help watch luggage while customers use the restroom, purchase food and/or shop. SkySquad assistants stay with their customers through the boarding process even assisting to the plane door.“In addition to being SkySquad’s first expansion outside of its launch markets of Dulles International and Reagan National airports, we’re thrilled to welcome this small business start-up and woman-owned business to CVG,” said Candace McGraw, chief executive officer, CVG Airport. “SkySquad offers travelers another level of control and greater piece of mind. We are pleased to continue expanding amenities and services available to our passengers, especially during these difficult times.”"SkySquad's mission is to make travel throughout the airport less stressful and more enjoyable,” said Julie Melnick, chief executive officer, SkySquad. “Our service can ease anxiety for parents, caregivers, and loved ones who need assurance that the travel experience is hassle free and easy."How does it work?Simply go to [www.theskysquad.com](http://www.theskysquad.com/), and click on the booking form in the top right corner. You’ll then be matched with a SkySquad assistant who will greet you at your meeting point. At this time, bookings must be made 24 hours in advance. Information can always be found [here](https://www.cvgairport.com/terminal/airport-assistance-services) on CVGairport.com.How much does it cost?SkySquad has rates as low as $49. Family packages for departures start at $99 and will get you from curbside to plane door.About SkySquadSkySquad’s mission is to provide a stress-free travel experience for those who benefit from a helping hand from their car door to the plane door. SkySquad was founded by a mom who has personally experienced the struggle of traveling through the airport. Today, SkySquad offers support at 3 airports with plans to expand nationally. Airport assistance is provided by background checked, badged airport employees with a strong knowledge of the airport layout and an unwavering goal of helping others. SkySquad launched in December of 2019 at Washington Dulles International Airport and is currently also at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.About CVG AirportThe Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) has been serving passengers since 1947. CVG welcomed more than 9.1 million passengers in 2019, a 2.7 percent increase over the year prior. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, CVG still offers the most nonstop destinations, airline choices, and the lowest average airfares in the region. As the 7th largest cargo airport in North America and home to the Amazon Air Hub and DHL Express Global Superhub, CVG is diversified in both passenger and cargo operations. With an annual impact of $6.8 billion on the local economy, the airport drives regional growth and remains a leader in innovation. Learn more about CVG and its response to COVID-19 at CVGairport.com/FlyHealthy.Read more - Jan 11, 2021
The Lane Report: Cargo is booming: Logistic officials expect surge to continue
The Lane Report / Greg Paeth / January 8, 2021It’s a pretty good bet that 2021 will prove to be an extraordinary year for the tightly intertwined logistics and transportation industries in Northern Kentucky. That’s saying quite a bit in the wake of 2020, which will be cemented in our memories as the year that COVID-19 wreaked havoc on just about every aspect of our lives. Consider three vitally important stories that are expected to unfold this year: • Amazon, the million-ton gorilla of online retailing, is expected to open the first phase of its $1.5 billion air hub and distribution center in Northern Kentucky sometime before the 2021 holiday season. The company said it will create some 2,000 jobs once the entire facility is up and running on property owned by the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), where Amazon is expected to handle 64 flights every day. • Repairs have been made to the Brent Spence Bridge, which was damaged in November by a fiery tractor-trailer collision. The bridge carries 160,000 cars per day – and it was designed to carry just 80,000. It is also one of the busiest trucking routes in the United States, with freight equaling 3% of the nation’s gross domestic product crossing the bridge each year. Northern Kentucky officials have long been advocating for funding to upgrade the bridge, which originally opened in 1963. Officials hope the crash and shutdown, which lasted nearly six weeks, will shine the light once again on the need to upgrade the critically important north-south truck route – one of the reasons why Kentucky has established itself as a logistics mecca for the country. • For the first time in 20 years, the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky – the TANK bus system – will introduce what it calls a substantial “redesign” of its services as it eliminates six routes and begins to concentrate its efforts in high-population areas along existing routes. The move is designed to counter a decline in ridership in the region and elsewhere in the country that has been caused, in part, by low gas prices. As the potential impact of these topics indicates, 2021 may present an unsettling blend of good news and bad for everyone who’s immersed in logistics and transportation in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky metropolitan region, where it’s estimated that more than 106,000 people work in those broadly defined categories. Of those, some 30,000 workers make their homes in Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties, according to Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corp. (Tri-ED), which focuses on economic development in three counties that have a combined population of about 385,000. In her job as the CEO of CVG, Candace McGraw had a free front-row seat for the complete spectrum of pandemic-related news. At one level, the airport and most of its employees managed to avoid skyrocketing infection rates that crippled some businesses, said McGraw, who oversees an institution that is said to have an annual economic impact of $6.8 billion and 14,500 “badged employees” who work for the airport or other companies located on airport property. Despite becoming only the third airport in the country to receive a COVID-related “Airport Health Accreditation” from an international trade association in mid-September, passengers stayed away and numbers declined dramatically throughout 2020. “With the pandemic, our passenger levels are down, of course, but compared with all airports throughout the country, we’re tracking – thankfully – slightly above the national level for airports our size. So we will likely finish this year with about 35% of the passengers we had in 2019, and that’s faring better than some of my airport colleagues,” McGraw said.For 2019, the airport reported 9.1 million passengers. As the COVID-19 crisis worsened late in the year, McGraw made it clear that CVG and the airline industry don’t expect an immediate bounce back. For 2021, passenger levels are projected at 50% of the 2019 total, McGraw said. “For 2021, our budget is projecting that we’ll be at about 50% of the 2019 passenger levels,” said McGraw, who noted that airfares now rank 92nd in the country with an average of $215, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. She also said that because of COVID-19, “cargo is booming.” “Throughout the pandemic, cargo is operating at (Christmas) holiday volumes and continues to do so,” said McGraw. In mid-November, she said, shipments were up 13.5% over last year, which had been a record year for the seventh-largest cargo airport in the country. “Cargo continues to be the bright spot. E-commerce has been accelerated by this pandemic.” Kentucky boasts that it’s the only state in the country with three international air shipping hubs: UPS in Louisville, and DHL and Amazon in Northern Kentucky, where those two companies temporarily share the DHL building, with some 2,000 DHL employees handling 90% of the German shipper’s deliveries to the U.S. Amazon, which broke ground on its Air Hub in May of 2019, operates 11 fulfillment centers in the state, according to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development (KCED). The company said that since 2010 it has created 14,500 full- and part-time jobs in Kentucky, where it has invested $15 billion in infrastructure and wages. Atlas Air, an airfreight firm based in Purchase, N.Y., that has a “strategic relationship” with Amazon, is scheduled to open a new office a few miles from CVG in 2021. Atlas and other companies under its corporate umbrella operate the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 747 freight aircraft, the company said. FEAM Aero opened a $19 million, 103,000-s.f. cargo hangar at CVG in January 2020. It accommodates wide-body 747 aircraft for maintenance, repair and overhaul. The company services DHL, WOW Air, Atlas Air and Amazon Air’s fleet at CVG. The project created 100 new, high-paying aircraft mechanic jobs, increasing FEAM Aero’s employment at CVG to 300 jobs. “Among CVG’s strategic goals are to grow air cargo operations, and develop available airport land, both of which are achieved with this project,” McGraw said.FedEx also has a substantial presence in Northern Kentucky, where 500 people work in a ground-package facility, according to KCED. Verst Logistics in Walton, which has about 1,900 employees in five states and is a major player in Northern Kentucky and elsewhere in the country, also felt the impact of the pandemic in both positive and negative ways. “We operate distribution centers for the largest grocery chain in the U.S. and as you can imagine, their volume has been through the roof,” said Paul Verst, chairman and CEO. “Also, with so many people working or staying at home, our e-commerce/fulfillment customers are having a record year as well since so many people are ordering products online. From a negative perspective, our automotive customers closed plants for four to six weeks so we were forced to furlough employees on a temporary basis, but most – if not all – are back to work now. “We believe consumers will continue to purchase more products online after the pandemic is over, so we see a continued exponential increase in our e-commerce business,” said Verst, adding that revenues for 2020 have increased by “double digits.” “The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we all do business. Any company who thinks business will return as usual when this is over will more than likely not be here in the next year or two,” he said. It was a similar story at Total Quality Logistics (TQL), a Cincinnati company that describes itself as the largest privately held freight broker in the country. “National freight activity is drastically elevated compared to 2019 and TQL is certainly seeing this in day-to-day business,” said TQL President Kerry Byrne, whose company was ranked in November as the largest privately held company in Cincinnati by the Cincinnati Enquirer, with 2019 revenues of about $3.4 million. “Grocery and e-commerce continue to occupy a large part of that, but we’re also seeing an uptick in lumber and metals due to growth in residential construction.” Robert Martinchenko, founder of LeanCor and senior vice president at Transplace, also said his company and its customers did well in 2020.[FULL STORY HERE](https://www.lanereport.com/136704/2021/01/cargo-is-booming/)Read more - Dec 22, 2020
CVG Airport hosts demonstration of autonomous ground equipment
December 22, 2020As a follow up to this [partnership announcement](https://www.cvgairport.com/about/news/2020/11/19/cvg-airport-partners-with-thordrive-on-driverless-tech), ThorDrive and CVG Airport have fully developed autonomous ground equipment. The tractor featured in the video and photo below can transport passenger baggage or cargo containers. It is retrofitted with autonomous technology to safely navigate the airport environments without a driver.Read more - Dec 18, 2020
Dream come true: Teen battling illness visits CVG flight deck
Cincinnati Enquirer / Briana Rice / December 17, 2020Mollie Burke has spent over two years flying back and forth between her home in Chattanooga and Cincinnati for treatment at Cincinnati Children's Hospital for severe gastroparesis.On Wednesday, the 17-year-old had a special gift to share with one of the pilots at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. And a rare chance to visit the flight deck of a commercial plan. Burke has been battling stomach issues while in and out of the hospital and traveling back and forth throughout high school. She's been pursuing her private pilot's license since August and hopes to receive it at the same time as her high school diploma. Right now she's flying small planes with an instructor, but as soon as she has her private license, Burke will fly on her own.She has recently been accepted into the Aeronautical Sciences program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with the goal to become a commercial pilot."It's been my dream for about two years now. I used to want to go into the medical field but I realized after being in the hospital for like, most of my childhood basically, I didn't want to be in a hospital for the rest of my life," Burke said. "Flying back and forth from Cincinnati so much, I really just fell in love with aviation and decided that is what I wanted to be."Burke was born at 31 weeks so she's had life-long gastroparesis issues. Over the years, she's had multiple surgeries and has flown to Cincinnati Children's 18 times."We exhausted every resource in Tennessee," said Andi Shadrick, Burke's mom. So the two began traveling to Cincinnati for treatment through a nonprofit called Miracle Flights, which paid for the flights to Cincinnati."She was throwing up and vomiting roughly 20 to 30 times a day," Shadrick said. Burke was unable to attend her sophomore year and half of junior year. Burke was the first person at Cincinnati Children's hospital to receive a new a gastric stimulator that has greatly improved her well-being, Shadrick said. The surgery was delayed until July because of COVID-19. "She basically has a pacemaker in her stomach and it's pretty effective right now."Life is looking pretty good for Burke, Shadrick said. She'll graduate from high school in May at the top of her class at Red Bank High School in Chattanooga, was recently accepted into her dream college and lately she's been feeling a lot better.Without Miracle Flights, Burke might not be doing so well. She couldn't make the five-hour drive to Cincinnati with how often she was vomiting. The company provides an average of 600 flights monthly to families who need assistance to reach life-changing medical care.Miracle Flights and its partner Torgoen on Wednesday gifted Burke with a pilot watch to give to an unsuspecting pilot during one of her future flights."Without Miracle Flight flying her, she would have never fallen in love with flying, she would have never wanted to be a pilot and the watch company would have never given her the watch," Shadrick said. "It's kind of like a big wheel of everyone involved to make yesterday happen."Burke joined Delta pilot Capt. Jim Leveille in the flight deck and gave him the watch on Wednesday. [FULL STORY HERE](https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2020/12/17/chattanooga-cincinnati-airports-flights-teen-cvg/3939148001/)Read more - Dec 18, 2020
Teen battling chronic illness surprises pilot with pilot watch on flight to Cincinnati
WLWT-TV 5 / December 16, 2020A 17-year-old girl who is battling a chronic illness received a gift of a lifetime this week and was also able to use it to surprise her pilot during her travels to Cincinnati for treatment.Mollie Burke has been traveling back and forth between her home in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Cincinnati for treatment at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.Burke has a passion for aviation and is working to get her private pilot's license. She was also recently accepted into the Aeronautical Sciences program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She has a goal of becoming a commercial pilot one day.“Throughout my life, I have learned to view things from a bigger perspective, and the very idea of literally seeing the world from a larger perspective is exciting,” Burke said. “I experience a peace in the air that is more soothing than any other place, and I find that reassuring.”Miracle Flights and Torgoen heard about Burke's inspirational story and gifted her with two pilot watches, one for herself and one to give to a Delta pilot on a future flight.When Burke landed at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport on Wednesday, she surprised her pilot with the watch. Burke was also able to visit the flight deck and get an up-close look at what being a pilot is all about.[FULL STORY HERE](https://www.wlwt.com/article/teen-battling-chronic-illness-surprises-pilot-with-pilot-watch-on-flight-to-cincinnati/34995593)Read more