Our benchmark for checking the development of air service to the West Coast is the Portland-Sacramento Test, how much flying US Airways is doing nonstop from the CLT to Portland, OR and Sacramento, CA. This year, the original plan was “same as it ever was” — both daily June 1 to September 7, but no nonstops after that. Well, things have just changed, and for the better: Portland will now operate daily through November 6. Sacramento service also continues through early November, but drops to four days a week (Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays) after Labor Day. So yes, things are looking up.