Some years ago, when my father was in assisted living, I was in Rhode Island meeting with a banker about his affairs. Just in general conversation she told me that bank officials needed regularly to go to Ithaca, and what a pain it was to get there from the Syracuse airport. “Why don’t you fly to Elmira?” I asked. “From there it’s just a half-hour up the road.”
*“Elmira?”, she asked in reply. And now they always use Elmira.
*If you live here in our general Corning region, from time to time you might need to fly elsewhere. Elmira Corning Regional Airport is one of your options.
*United, Allegiant, and Delta all fly out of Elmira, to Dulles, Detroit, and Orlando, with about eight flights in and eight flights out on a typical day. Back in March we flew from Elmira to Detroit to Houston, and return. The airport’s very easy to get to, parking is simple, and you just stroll in from the lot with no confusion.
*On the down side… early morning flights often get delayed by ground fog, associated with the nearby Chemung River. AND, it’s a small airport. A few years ago, while we were grounded on the runway waiting for fog to lift, the pilot said, “I’d take you back to the terminal, but at this particular airport I don’t think you’d be having any more fun there than you are here.” No one objected.
*On the other hand, the place has been improved a good deal since then, and more improvements are under way. The terminal has a restaurant, which is more than some can say.
*Greater Binghamton Airport has several Delta flights to and from Detroit, scattered through the day. I’ve never visited the airport, so I can’t tell you anything first hand.
*A few weeks ago I had to fly to Rhode Island unexpectedly, and didn’t want to do it via Dulles, Detroit, or Orlando. I could get a flight from Rochester through Philadelphia, but my wife really hoped I could find something that wouldn’t require her driving home and then back alone. Since Elmira and Binghamton were out, it suddenly occurred to me: what about Ithaca?
*I’d flown THROUGH Ithaca airport, and while that wasn’t quite back in Glenn Curtiss days, it had been several decades. Ithaca, it turns out, flies Delta, United, and American, AND I could get to Providence by changing at Philadelphia… which, if not as good distance-wise as Newark or LaGuardia, is at least well in the realm of reasonableness. Newark is, in fact, another option from Ithaca, and so is good old Detroit.
*Plusses for Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport: easy to get to, easy parking, decent terminal. On the MINUS side, right now they’re going through construction. The terminal’s a mess, and it’s noisy, and it’s COLD. The restaurant is the only business, and it’s closed, leaving only vending machines. On the other hand, even with all this it’s a nice friendly place, with helpful staff (both the airline folks and the TSA people).
*So, while in many cases you can get better prices… and, of course, many more choices of immediate destination… by going to Buffalo, Syracuse, or Rochester, don’t turn off our local airports. They may be more helpful and useful than you might have thought!