This story probably falls more into the business/news blog side of things, but I've always had protective feelings toward Fresno's airport -- having reliable, convenient and affordable air transportation is one of those big-city things that I think we desperately need -- so I'm a little bummed with the news today that ExpressJet is pulling out of FAT. The Bee's Jeff St. John writes in this breaking update:

Fresno Yosemite International Airport officials announced today that the Houston-based carrier would end its Fresno flights on Sept. 2 ... ExpressJet started its Fresno service in April 2007, but said in a news release that it was cutting back “due primarily to rising fuel prices which have made the operations impossible to sustain.”

UPDATE: Here's Jeff's longer story from Thursday's paper.

I was just having a conversation the other night with an out-of-town Summer Arts participant and saying that Fresno's airport has really improved in recent years. Now this. Just think: 1) of all those hundreds more cars each day driving to Southern California; and 2) the minor embarrassment that you won't even be able to fly straight from San Diego to Fresno. Business travelers are going to scream, and that's going to make it harder attracting quality jobs to the area. In case you've missed the ongoing story, by the way, the U.S. air transport system is on the verge of collapse, particularly for mid-sized cities, thanks to crumbling infrastructure and soaring fuel prices. If we don't watch out, we'll be back to the way it was 50 years ago when only the very wealthy could afford to fly.