BUSINESS BRIEFS

continued from page 15 of the Foundation by improving the quality of life for so many in our communities.” e James J. Byrnes Awards for Excellence program was established during the bank’s Sesquicentennial Celebration in 1986 to share its success with community members who have helped to enrich the quality of life in Tompkins County. In 2014, the Awards for Excellence program was renamed the James J. Byrnes Awards for Excellence to honor the retirement of Jim Byrnes, a longtime Ithaca resident and leader of Tompkins Financial Corporation. Since 1986, the Awards for Excellence program has recognized more than 280 individuals or groups, with awards totaling more than $386,000.

Tompkins Community Bank Expands Access to Banking, Launches Smart Spend Checking Account

In an e ort to improve equity and service to the unbanked and underbanked communities, Tompkins Community Bank announced the launch of its Smart Spend Checking Account. is account was o cially certi ed by the National e Smart Spend account includes many conveniences of traditional checking accounts like online bill pay and debit card access and was speci cally designed for those taking steps toward nancial wellness. It does not include overdra protection, minimizes opportunities to overdraw the account, and eliminates overdra fees.

Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund (CFE Fund) as meeting the Bank On National Account Standards (2021 - 2022).

“O ering Smart Spend will make banking more equitable and accessible for all in our community,” said Greg Hartz, president of Tompkins, Central New York. “It’s our hope that Smart Spend will cater to the ever-growing diversity of nancial needs we serve, and allow more individuals to establish a nancial footprint, securely build their credit history, and develop healthy saving and spending habits.”

Smart Spend is now available at all 12 branches in Tompkins, Cortland, Cayuga, and Onondaga counties. Key features include a monthly maintenance cost of only $5, no overdra or non su cient fund fees, the ability to pay bills and make purchases, free monthly statements, and no minimum balance. As part of its ongoing commitment to o ering nancial education, Tompkins hosts an ongoing series of free, virtual webi- nars on a variety of topics, including fraud protection, rst-time home buying, and overall nancial wellness. For a schedule of upcoming events and instructions on registering, please visit https://www.tompkinsbank.com/about-us/community-events.

To learn more about the Smart Spend Checking Account, please visit: www. tompkinsbank.com/smart-spend-checking

Air Service to John F. Kennedy International Airport from Ithaca

Tompkins International Airport Begins

DELTA AIR LINES OFFERING TWO DAILY FLIGHTS TO JFK STARTING JANUARY 9

Beginning January 9, Ithaca Tompkins International Airport (ITH) will o er two daily ights to John F. Kennedy International Airport via Delta Air Lines. Business and leisure travelers can book ights on either the early morning or mid-day departure to JFK on the 75-seat CRJ-900 regional jets, which are more fuel-e cient and have Wi-Fi and rst-class options.

Airport Director Roxan Noble expressed her excitement, saying, “We are thrilled to o er ights to JFK beginning next week! Our community has expressed its desire for this destination for some time now, so this is fan- tastic news for ITH and our traveling public. Flights will depart ITH early morning and mida ernoon and you can be in Manhattan in 45 minutes via public transportation. You can get there from here with twice as many ights from JFK to Los Angeles and San Francisco than from Detroit. Plus, JFK has the most international airlines in the United States. I want to thank everyone who helped make this happen and am so thankful for our strong partnership with Delta Air Lines and other air service partners.”

General Manager of Network Planning at Delta Air Lines, Caitlin Bradbury, shared, “Delta’s new, twice daily JFK service not only provides easy access to New York City but also plugs into Delta’s vast Domestic and International route network in JFK, providing seamless connecting options to get Ithaca customers where they need to go.”

From JFK, Delta and its joint venture partners o er service to 91 destinations in 30 countries as well as 225 daily ights, including ten to Los Angeles, CA, eight to London, eight to San Francisco, CA, and ve to Orlando, FL.

Shawna Black, Chairwoman of the Tompkins County Legislature, stated, “ is is great news for Tompkins County. is

Continued on Page 19