I’m not trying to be mean to Albany in any way , but it looks like Cape Air is now flying its 402C’s out of ALB to the tiny ART, OGS, and MSS, and ehh, let’s just say ALB isn’t quite a hub. Wonder why Cape Air chose ALB instead of its bigger hub in BOS where they could, and do, have tons of connecting passengers. They use BOS for other upstate NY routes as well. Most pax find double connections domestically a pain, especially because Cape Air doesn’t codeshare with anyone on these routes.
ALB has flights on Delta, Air Canada, Southwest, United, Continental, US Air, and Cape Air. Non-stops to Atlanta, Orlando, Cincinnati, Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago, Baltimore, DC, Tampa, Philly, Ft. Lauderdale, and a few more. Not exactly a sleepy little airport.
As for Cape Air, they picked up several EAS routes because they could offer cheaper service to places that could never hope to fill a 1900.
Certainly true, but ALB unfortunately is no BOS, which has hundreds of domestic flights where loads of passengers would easily be able to connect, if given the opportunity.
Also, I did have to fly to ART 2 times when served by US Express, and the 1900D was, both times, considerably full, even overbooked one time out of PIT, although I imagine that was probably as a result of a canceled flight or something like that.
The program is a waste of money. Subsidies can be as high as $200 per passenger. Many cities that receive EAS are within an easy 2 hour drive of an airport that has unsubsidized services.
If a city cannot support air service without the federal government (i.e. the nation’s taxpayers) then it should get air service. I have no problem with the city, county, or state subsidizing air service - just the feds.
Very true for the Midwest out of STL. UIN (Quincy IL) is a HUGE success, and I beleive the Cape Girardeau and Marion flights are doing quite well also. These were recently routes of 1900 flying lines such as Great Lakes and Big Sky, and both had terrible loads. The Cessna equip has made these more do-able routes.
Higher load factors due to lower capacity (9 seats versus 19). However, those flights are still highly subsidized. Why the hell should the whole nation pay as much as $200 for a person to fly to UIN or CGI or any of the other points that full under the EAS program?
Why should I pay for the guy at WalMart in front of me in line, who has three different WIC checks and three orders, a LINK (Illinois’ food stamps enter said state in your case) card to buy his soda, and other nutritious foods, and then use the wad of $100 bills in his pocket to buy the DVD’s and car cleaning supplies to clean that Escalade with 20 inch rims he’ll be driving to his section 8 home in?
I’d rather subsidize transportation, which assists in the health of an economy, much more than subsidize those who only assist in the population numbers because it means more income from the government.
I was in Hyannis a while back and chatted with a couple of CapeAir guys about the EAS routes. They said that some of the upstate NY spots were really happy with the 402 because they didn’t need a 1900 for their load factors. ART was the exception, as they told it. From what they said the ART folk would rather just drive the hour or so to SYR and pick up a flight there. The other locations on that route have a much longer drive to “big” airline service.
, but it looks like Cape Air is now flying its 402C’s out of ALB to the tiny ART, OGS, and MSS, and ehh, let’s just say ALB isn’t quite a hub. Wonder why Cape Air chose ALB instead of its bigger hub in BOS where they could, and do, have tons of connecting passengers. They use BOS for other upstate NY routes as well. Most pax find double connections domestically a pain, especially because Cape Air doesn’t codeshare with anyone on these routes.
