Beginning June 11, Continental Airlines will no longer fly from Ithaca to Newark. Ithaca Journal
As the article points out, people who fly on this route aren't really interested in flying to Newark, but rather to the international destinations which can be accessed through Newark.
This change will certainly have an impact on Cornell, since the route serves as a portal from Ithaca to other countries. When Cornell brings in foreigners to deliver lectures, or to serve as visiting professors, these academics most likely fly to Newark and then connect to Ithaca. Now, they will either have to take a taxi from Newark to Laguardia to fly to Ithaca, or else try to go through Philly.
The discontinuation of service to Newark reinforces the fact that Ithaca is isolated.
Maybe I'm just a highway elitist. Growing up in rural/suburban Connecticut, it was routine to hop on the interstate to drive to friends' houses. Ithaca has no nearby highways. Coming from the east, you have to drive 30 miles on Route 79 to get to Ithaca. From the north or west, it's Route 96. From any direction, you drive through a whole lot of boring countryside before reaching the oasis of Ithaca. New York City is a 4-hour trip by car, and much more by bus. Airfare from Syracuse is expensive, and most students who live outside of driving distance find that it's easier to just stay in Ithaca over breaks than try to negotiate a trip home.
There have been rumors of a possible Amtrak line to Ithaca, and this would make it easier to get to New York City and the rest of the eastern seaboard. Regardless, Ithaca's location in "central" New York isn't central to much of anything.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
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Back in my day, there was only one carrier: US Airways.
ReplyDeleteThe Amtrak to Ithaca would be amazing. But it's not going to happen. And if it did happen, it would likely be an offshoot from Syracuse. I don't think the Lehigh Valley is going to be reinvented anytime soon.
And I wouldn't call driving on Route 89 'boring countryside'. It's probably one of the most pleasant drives in the Northeast.
But still, what other city is four hours from Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, New York, and Philadelphia?
That's pretty good coverage, if you as me.
Not to mention the physical setting.
The drive to Ithaca can certainly be pleasant, so long as the weather is decent, it's daytime, and you're not in a particular rush to get there.
ReplyDeleteI can't argue that Ithaca isn't central to those places you mentioned, but those cities are still far enough away that it's not that easy to just get in the car and go there for a day.
I love Ithaca and when I'm here, I don't feel like it's isolated. It's just that it's not particularly easy to reach.