Business in brief WASHINGTON: INDEPENDENCE FLIES INTO HISTORY

Like Eastern, TWA and Pan Am before it, Independence Air flew into the history books Thursday night. The final arrival at Dulles International Airport, Flight 687 from Tampa, Fla., touched down shortly after 9 p.m. EST. The pilot, Capt. Curt Selbert, said he played the Vera Lynn song “We’ll Meet Again” on the plane’s PA system. “Not a dry eye in the house, including mine,” he said afterward. Walking out the arrival door, flight attendant Patty Shea, a 14-year veteran of the airline and its predecessor, Atlantic Coast Airways, carried a sign reading “buh-bye.” Passengers on the final flights arriving at Dulles said onboard attendants tried to keep the mood upbeat. Independence Air began service at Portland International Jetport in Maine in the summer of 2004 and gained 10 percent of the market. The airport is seeking to attract another low-cost carrier, such as Southwest or JetBlue, spokesman Greg Hughes said. (AP)