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New Cafe Opens at State College Airport

State College Regional Airport entrance on Feb. 10, 2024

On Saturday, March 23, Penn Valley Cafe opened in the State College Regional Airport. The cafe is near the ticket counters in the airport’s main lobby.

Penn Valley Cafe features sandwiches, salads, smoothies, snacks, breakfast dishes and more that busy travelers can grab before their flight or on an extended layover.

The cafe is open 4:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily.

The space was formerly home to Up Up and Away Café, which closed in December of last year. At the time, the coffee shop cited multiple reasons for its closing in a post on Facebook.

“We have been brainstorming ways to stay and make it work,” the post stated. “The added pressure of all of us squeezing our budgets during this time of year, paired with the lack of flights going out daily and limited cities to fly to were no match for a small business like ours.”

In 2022, State College Regional Airport announced United flights between State College and Washington Dulles International Airport were suspended. In June of last year, Delta announced they would suspend all flights to the State College airport. Both moves impacted service abilities in the airport.

However, in February 2024, it was announced two daily United direct flights between Washington Dulles International Airport and State College would begin operating in June, with service between State College and Newark Liberty International being discontinued with the start of the Dulles flights, a representative for the airline confirmed.

The change in flights and new cafe will breathe new life into the airport.

“The airport understands the value of having food and drink options for the traveling public,” Jason McMurtrie, State College Regional Airport terminal manager, said. “With busy schedules and reduced food service on many flights, having food options while traveling is a time saver and a convenience.”

McMurtrie additionally noted that the cafe benefits not just air passengers, but passengers traveling with Fullington and OurBus bus services.

“Our customers taking the bus or even renting cars can grab some food before they get on the road,” McMurtrie said. “For the growing residential and business community surrounding the airport, they can take advantage of the airport’s free two-hour parking and visit the airport to enjoy a meal. We really want the traveling experience at the State College Regional Airport to be a pleasure for all.”