(UPDATED) 5:30 P.M.- GUILFORD COUNTY - What’s in a name? A lot, as leaders of the region’s airport have found out in no uncertain terms. Leaders of Piedmont Triad International Airport reiterated Tuesday afternoon what they said earlier this month about the controversial proposal to rename the airport - the idea is on hold. The Piedmont Triad Airport Authority unanimously voted at its monthly meeting to maintain the name PTIA while airport officials ponder what they term a "rebranding." The move comes a month after airport officials rolled out a proposed new name, Central North Carolina International Airport, which was met with derision and opposition among many passengers and observers. Airport leaders originally said they wanted the change to enhance the region’s awareness with national and global companies by having the name of the airport specify its location within North Carolina. During the public comment period at the authority meeting, small business owner Nicky Smith of Greensboro said he spoke for more than 6,000 people who signed a www.change.org petition he organized against the name change. Smith told the board members that the Piedmont Triad name "is part of the communities DNA" in Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem. "Your proposal to change the name of our airport has hit a sensitive nerve in the citizens you have been appointed to represent," Smith said. On Tuesday, airport leaders said they had heard the response and would seek the public's input before changing the airport's name permanently. Airport leaders already had backpedaled on the name change in a public announcement about two weeks ago, indicating that the name change wouldn’t move forward as originally envisioned. Following the governing board’s monthly meeting Tuesday afternoon, Piedmont Triad Airport Authority Chairman Steve Showfety told The High Point Enterprise that keeping the name PTIA remains an option. One criticism that emerged after the name change was revealed, shortly before Christmas, was that airport leaders didn’t survey or seek input from passengers or the community before releasing the new name. During the meeting, Showfety emphasized that the public would be considered going forward with a name for the airport, which has been called PTIA for the past 30 years. Airport officials are soliciting suggested names from the public. "We realize we are a reflection of the community," Showfety said. During his remarks to the board, Smith concluded by saying he wants to be considered for an appointment to the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority when an opening materializes this year. The seven members of the authority are appointed by the Guilford and Forsyth County Board of Commissioners and the city councils of High Point, Greensboro and Winston-Salem. The Guilford commissioners have three appointees, while the Forsyth commissioners and three cities appoint one member each. The term of High Point City Council’s appointee to the authority - current Vice Chairman Don Webb - expires in April. So does the term of Greensboro City Council appointee Paul Mengert, who is the authority treasurer. Many members of the authority over the decades have served multiple terms on the airport’s governing board. By Paul B. Johnson ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER Jan 23, 2018 Source: http://www.hpenews.com/news/airport-leaders-reinforce-name-change-on-hold/article_f8724f0c-007c-11e8-b442-d3a21c282150.html