In Sanford, Fla., big welcome (and subsidy to match) for a small carrier

Last week Icelandair transferred its service from Orlando International (MCO) to Orlando Sanford International (SFB).

The Orlando Sentinel's Beth Kassab reported that the maiden flight March 27 got one of those fire-truck "under the arch" salutes. And to sweeten the deal, Sanford is kicking in half a million dollars over the next 7 years to promote the service.

This is all well and good--Icelandair is a fine way to cross the pond--but keep in mind that we're talking about a carrier with exactly one arrival and one departure every day--handling 378 passengers per day at most. Which is 32% fewer passengers than Amtrak handled in its single daily arrival and departure at Sanford's Auto Train terminal in 2005.