I lived in ITH for 4 years..and got to use the airport a few times, although I usually flew from SYR due to fares. ITH just lost its mainline Fokker 100 service back in September, and is now all RJ and props.

As far as the tight security, I'm not surprised. The security screeners have basically nothing to do, and from what I hear there are National Guard troops at the airport.

It's a great little airport, though. It was great to call at 6:15am cab and still have plenty of extra time to catch a 7am flight. SEA is a different story altogether.

What kind of fare did you pay ITH-DCA? I flew in that market quite frequently and had trouble finding anything under $200.