Flying -- its future in the midstate

Monday, 12 December 2011 14:16

Flying -- its future in the midstate

Written by Scott LaMar, Director of Radio Smart Talk

Radio Smart Talk for Tuesday, December 13:

There seem to be two camps when the subject is air transportation -- those who love to fly and see it as convenient, safe, and even a time to get more work done. And there are those fliers who are of the opinion that flying is a total hassle, from start-to-finish, and uncomfortable as well.

It doesn't seem to matter what side you come down on, air travel is a part of every day life in the U.S. and is a trusted barometer of the nation's economy.

Harrisburg International Airport typically has more than 600,000 passengers either coming or going each year. For 2012, the authority that operates the airport is projecting 1% fewer passengers in 2012. Does that mean the region's economy is going backwards or are there other factors in play like what the airlines are doing or the price of fares?

Air travel has changed significantly over the past 10 years -- especially in the area of security, since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Those security measures are cited as what makes flying annoying.

On Tuesday's Radio Smart Talk, HIA's Executive Director Tim Edwards will join us to discuss local air transportation and air travel overall.

What questions do you have?

LISTEN TO PROGRAM:

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comments

# John Beistline 2011-12-13 10:24

As with the previous caller I will no longer fly out of HIA. In June my wife flew to see our grandchildren in New Mexico. Her arrival time was to be noon and she did not arrive until 8pm that night because of flight crew issues on the originating flight. Instead of 1 stop she had 2 more added.
We too have switch to Southwest Airlines as our airline of choice. Even during Irene we flew from BWI on time and arrived in New Mexico on time.
HIA may be convenient but it is not efficient as far as the airlines flights.

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# Tim Edwards 2011-12-13 12:00

John.
Sorry to hear of the problems with your flight in June. We strive to provide the best customer service possible but sometimes things just don't work the way they should. One solution is to bring more competition to HIA including Southwest Airlines. We are working very hard to make that happen. Hopefully we will have another opportunity to earn the confidence of you and your wife to once again try HIA.
Thank you for your comment.
Tim Edwards
Executive Director

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# Steve Franz 2011-12-13 12:05

I heard summary of issues aired out today about HIA. The comment above from John hits the nail on the head: it is very nice to fly out of HIA/MDT, but getting home can be an issue. You are going to connect through another airport, and so those connections are key. On one return trip through Phila, my connection was the last flight out and it was cancelled. So not only do you have the fear that the connection is late (very late) but there is also a probability that USAir will cancel the flight for no good reason, other then they conveniently had a scheduling problem. The HIA manager today demonstrated that he is clueless about just how bad the overall service is out of his airport.

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# Patti 2011-12-14 16:45

Add me to the list of people who drive to BWI to fly Southwest. I flew from HIA one time (on US Air to Greece, through Philly). My flight to and from Philly was late, the charge to park at HIA is outrageous, and I frankly saw no benefits to saving the 30 mins or so in drive time (I live in Chambersburg). Plus, I get two free bags on SW! I have convinced my friends and family to be SW converts too, and none of us fly from HIA any longer.

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