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Atlantic City International Airport, dismissed for years as a go-nowhere facility, is drawing more attention as a key component of the region's economy, in part because it has turned itself into more of a go-somewhere travel center.

New air service to Atlanta by AirTran Airways and to Boston by Spirit Airlines has officials in Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties considering joint marketing ventures with the airport's operators.

For instance, officials with the South Jersey Transportation Authority, or SJTA, which operates the airport, will advertise the New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville at Atlantic City International and on the airlines that use the Egg Harbor Township-based facility. The race track will in turn tell its customers about Atlantic City International.

"It's a natural for us to promote a world-class motor facility to world travelers," race track official Don Fauerbach said. "People who travel into Atlantic City International Airport are a very important potential customer base to us."

State Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, said he is rounding up Cape May and Cumberland county officials and merchants eager to use Atlantic City International to promote everything from bed and breakfasts in Cape May to amusement piers in Wildwood and Ocean City. The goal is to help bring more travelers - and possibly more airlines - to Atlantic City International by giving them more entertainment options, he said.

"It's a regional approach," he said. "The competition is increasing all around us. Other states are putting more money into tourism promotion, and gaming is cropping up everywhere. With all that happening, we really have to do better."

SJTA spokeswoman Sharon Gordon said her agency wants to launch a regional branding program for the airport. She said the SJTA will do that in part by asking area chambers of commerce to "become very active stakeholders" in the facility by asking their members to "really buy into" the airport.

"That way, we're going to grow service," she said.

To start, the SJTA will begin displaying the airport's new and more modern logo throughout the region.

The SJTA also is doing something that would seem rather routine for an airport operator - posting a route map for Airtran and Spirit Airlines on its Web site. SJTA officials said the map will give potential customers a better picture of potential destinations reachable from Atlantic City International.

Spirit Airlines was for years the airport's sole major carrier, and direct destinations were limited to Myrtle Beach, S.C., and a few cities in Florida. Travelers could reach other destinations from those airports, but the choices were limited.

That changed a few months ago, when the SJTA and a coalition of gaming and nongaming entities based primarily in and around Atlantic City convinced Spirit Airlines to offer service to Boston. Those flights began in May.

The coalition also played a large role in AirTran starting its round-trip service between Atlanta and Atlantic City International last month.

Coalition members identified Boston and Atlanta as two of three crucial new markets. The Boston flights opened a northern route. Atlanta was considered an important jumpoff point for many domestic and international destinations.

The SJTA and the coalition continue to work on getting air service to their third crucial market, Chicago. SJTA officials said they hope to announce service between Chicago and Atlantic City International later this year.

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