Times Union is reporting that there might soon be a relatively quick airline commute between Buffalo and Albany. According to the article, OneJet was the last airline to fly the Buffalo-Albany route in 2018, albeit the service only lasted a few months. Before that, there was no service between upstate’s two largest airports for over 8 years. At one time, this was a different story altogether, with airlines even competing for the route. Today,
10,000,000 people live and work within a 90 minute drive of the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, including almost one third of Canada’s entire population. Well over a third of the passengers are Canadian.
– Buffalo Niagara International Airport (from the video below)
Southern Airways Express is the operator considering embarking upon the new Buffalo-Albany route, with its single-engine Cessna Caravans. The flight would take about two-hours travel time, which is not exactly speedy when compared to previous airline operations, but this boils down to more of an overall convenience for travelers who can get work done on the plane instead of worrying about keeping an eye on the road.
“As somebody who frequently travels to Albany, I think it would be great to have affordable and reliable commercial flight options,” says Sam Hoyt, President Upstate Strategic Advisors, LLC., who spent much of his political career traveling between the two cities, and still makes the commute on a regular basis. “Hopefully Southern Airways Express can succeed where others have failed.”
As more and more people are living remotely, in cities that are not necessarily connected to their jobs, it’s important that airports such as the Buffalo Niagara International Airport offer as many direct routes as possible. Hoyt reminds us that these types of quick and efficient flight routes are key, when it comes to making Buffalo a better place to live and work, while bypassing the hassles and headaches of traffic jams, high costs of living, etc.
Lead image: Cessna 208 Caravan | FlugKerl2 | CC BY-SA 3.0