Newsstand - CVG has highest fares in USA

http://www.onnnews.com/story.php?record=27184

Travelers flying out of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport are paying more to fly than at other airports serving Ohio.

That’s according to a new analysis released this week by the U.S. Department of Transportation. According to federal numbers, Cincinnati’s airport is tied with the White Plaints Airport, in New York, for the costliest airfare in the nation.

I'm not surprised. I have a friend who lives about halfway between IND and CVG. Whevever I checked CVG I couldn't believe the prices compared to other airports in the area. Always fly into IND as a result.

This is hardly news. It has been documented for decades that "fortress" hubs such as DL's near-monopoly at CVG have higher prices than comparable cities that support more competition. For that matter, the same is true of de facto monopolies in most every other industry as well.

I lived there for 8 years and flew many times from DAY or CMH, saving my company hundreds of dollars each time (sometimes on DL flights connecting at CVG).

When going into CVG, I always fly into Lexington. Substantial savings in airfares, and only ablout 40 miles away. The savings always pay for the rental car, and yet don't cost much more time. As an added bonus, I usually get an additional segment....cheaper and more miles!

Here's a related recent story on regional airfares from the Louisville Courier-Journal: http://www.courier-journal.com/business/news2003/10/08/biz-front-airport08-7405.html

It's amazing how many people from the CVG-area you see at SDF.