I think there are two questions that could be asked about the Franklin Airport relative to comercial flights. Why would anyone use the airport and why wouldn't anyone use the airport.For this discussion we'll assume that you have a flight from the Pittsburgh Airport to somewhere and back.
You have two basic methods of getting to the Pittsburgh airport, driving or flying.
The advantages of flying is that you have quick drive to the Franklin Airport and free, easy parking there. Then you hop a 35 min flight to the Pittsburgh Airport.
Alternatively, you can make the choice most do and that is to drive to Pittsburgh, fight traffic for almost two hours, pay for parking, or who ever drops you off has the grueling drive back home.
So that leads to the queston of why wouldn't everyone use the Franklin Airport?
The first reason is price. Travelocity shows prices of $133 to $702 for a round trip from Franklin to Pittsburgh (when I select "Flexible Dates"). In the past when I've looked the usual price I get from US Air is $300 or so EACH WAY!
Travelocity shows Franklin to Miami to be $159 to $442.50 compared to $93 to $190 for Pittsburgh to Miami. In that case the $66 extra is probably well worth the convience.
Other destinations are quite so nice. Franklin to Fort Lauderdale is $382 to $858 compared to Pittsburg to Fort Lauderdale at $99 to $152. So here you get hit with $283 for the same flight you might have paid $66 for!
The logic is starting to run wild and the passengers are skipping the convience of the Franklin Airport!
The low fare finder on US Air comes up with $128 as the lowest possible fare for Franklin to Pittsburgh.
I also notice that some of the Flights are no longer non-stop and can take up to 4 hours!
Why would any fly from Franklin to Pittsburgh.
First getting jerked around with the price. It seems that it can cost you anywhere from $66 to $283 to book your flight from Franklin instead of Pittsburgh. Or $128+ if you book a seperate fight from Franklin to Pittsburgh.
There needs to be a little logic and sense to the prices!
Second the schedule and fares. As they have reduced the number of flights to Pittsburgh and made some of the non-stop with an outrageous length of time involved, it change the service from a convience to a nightmare.
Get the prices, schedules and stops in order and then you have something you can market and no one in their right mind would drive to the Pittsburgh Airport.
