AA ending all service to ISP (Long Island-Islip) and ITH (Ithaca, NY)
Jun 23, 2022, 10:33 am
#46
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This is pretty disappointing news. I have a couple of ITH trips already booked for the fall. What normally happens in this case, will they flat out cancel and refund or will I be able to choose any alternative flights in nearby airports? I haven't received cancel/change notifications yet, will that happen automatically or is it better to call now before seats start vanishing?
Jun 23, 2022, 10:37 am
#47
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The UA service at ITH is with a CRJ-550, that is, a CRJ-700 with many more premium seats. I'm not sure whether that's a great fit for the Ithaca market. I suppose that Cornell and IC faculty might be willing to pay for the seats; maybe students aren't a major share of the passengers.
The busiest time is probably around commencement in May when hotels are at capacity with parents and family attending the celebrations.
I am not sure if faculty travels that much.
I know there are several bio techs, consulting and start ups that are Ithaca based and are probably the ones flying in and out of Ithaca on a regular basis.
Jun 23, 2022, 10:47 am
#49
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While I would not recommend public transportation for someone traveling with bulky luggage, for someone with carry-on only, I don't see why the LIRR to Woodside to the (now free) Q70 would be any more of a hassle than the LIRR to Jamaica to the JFK AirTrain.
Jun 23, 2022, 2:35 pm
#50
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I think it's a matter of personal preference - the difference between the AirTrain and the bus is the former has no traffic issues and the bus can be an issue. There is generally less crowding on the AirTrain.
Jun 23, 2022, 3:06 pm
#51
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Subway, yes.
Jun 23, 2022, 4:42 pm
#52
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The Q70 (and M60 for that matter) absolutely do get crowded, especially if it's a bit of a delay since the previous bus. Unfortunately my experience is that the Q70 headways are never consistent per the schedule, which is every 8-10 minutes for most of the day. Last time I tried to take the Q70 from Woodside (I was on a <7> and the next (7) was 7+ minutes away), I waited over 15 minutes, and I'm convinced a bus was behind schedule and just skipped that pickup and went straight to Jackson Heights.
Jun 23, 2022, 4:50 pm
#53
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The UA service at ITH is with a CRJ-550, that is, a CRJ-700 with many more premium seats. I'm not sure whether that's a great fit for the Ithaca market. I suppose that Cornell and IC faculty might be willing to pay for the seats; maybe students aren't a major share of the passengers.
Jul 11, 2022, 6:12 am
#54
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Funnily enough this is the second time AA has ended service from ISP. In addition to the former US route to PHL they're now dropping they used to fly ISP-BOS in the 2000s and dropped it in 2005-2006 or so.
I can't say I'm surprised by this. Once they retired the Dash 8s and CRJ-200s this might have been inevitable.
I can't say I'm surprised by this. Once they retired the Dash 8s and CRJ-200s this might have been inevitable.
Jul 26, 2022, 1:14 pm
#57
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I was up in the Finger Lakes area for a swim event a few weeks ago. Since I was from further away, almost everyone (who didn't know my plans) asked me how I got there. I have family in northeast PA, so I flew to AVP, did some visiting, then drove up with my sister and brother-in-law.
The event organizer lives near Watkins Glen, and I mentioned how AA was pulling out of ITH; she and several others commented how they would miss those flights. They said they would probably use SYR after that (they weren't confident that UA will remain, and that the prices will be competitive). They did mention that DL still flies to ELM, but the prices are ridiculous. They asked me how far it was from AVP, and the 2 hour commute didn't really interest them. There is sometimes a touch of traffic on I-81 through Scranton in that area too (although compared with elsewhere it is just a blip).
It had been a while since I had flown to AVP, and I must say it was so much easier than ABE or PHL, and the price wasn't bad either. AA has upgaged service between AVP and CLT; my flight was supposed to be an A319, but ended up on an A320 (and the agents said they sometimes see A321s). The agents were excited, as this year is the first time in over 20 years that AA (or US) has had scheduled mainline service from AVP. Now if only they would add a DFW-AVP flight I'd be a happy camper
(I'm sure right after the LIT-NRT flight gets scheduled).
The event organizer lives near Watkins Glen, and I mentioned how AA was pulling out of ITH; she and several others commented how they would miss those flights. They said they would probably use SYR after that (they weren't confident that UA will remain, and that the prices will be competitive). They did mention that DL still flies to ELM, but the prices are ridiculous. They asked me how far it was from AVP, and the 2 hour commute didn't really interest them. There is sometimes a touch of traffic on I-81 through Scranton in that area too (although compared with elsewhere it is just a blip).
It had been a while since I had flown to AVP, and I must say it was so much easier than ABE or PHL, and the price wasn't bad either. AA has upgaged service between AVP and CLT; my flight was supposed to be an A319, but ended up on an A320 (and the agents said they sometimes see A321s). The agents were excited, as this year is the first time in over 20 years that AA (or US) has had scheduled mainline service from AVP. Now if only they would add a DFW-AVP flight I'd be a happy camper
(I'm sure right after the LIT-NRT flight gets scheduled).
Jul 26, 2022, 1:44 pm
#58
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And I'm putting my money on XNA-NRT before LIT-NRT.
Jul 26, 2022, 2:28 pm
#59
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From where I live, it is far easier for me to get to GRK, but there are only flights to DFW. I'd rather not double-connect, at least for a domestic trip, so I'll brave AUS to ORD/PHL/CLT for the 1-stop to AVP. But maybe DFW-AVP isn't as far-fetched as I thought.
When AA is out of ITH, perhaps things may look up at some other area airports.
Jul 26, 2022, 3:22 pm
#60
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The event organizer lives near Watkins Glen, and I mentioned how AA was pulling out of ITH; she and several others commented how they would miss those flights. They said they would probably use SYR after that (they weren't confident that UA will remain, and that the prices will be competitive).