The gleaming white jet stands proudly on the tarmac. This is not some rickety puddle-jumper turbo prop, but a state-of-art full size jet ready to send 115 or more travelers to distant destinations. Those passengers can look forward to fast and easy direct flights to the largest cities on the continent. Hundreds of arrivals and departures are counted every day from this modern, effective economic engine.
Sound like what we have to look forward to after the $80 million Erie airport runway expansion slated to be completed in 2013? Sure, hopefully. But what I described was the scene forty years earlier, in 1973.
I recently found an Allegheny Airlines timetable from June 1973. I was bewildered when I reviewed the Erie departure schedule. Back in the day you could climb aboard a BAC 1-11 Fanjet and fly nonstop to Chicago O’Hare in an hour and sixteen minutes for $47.00! Or catch any one of five DC-9 flights to Pittsburgh daily for $23.00.
Apparent from this 1973 timetable was that Erie was considered a primary market for Allegheny, worthy of full non-stop jet and prop service to multiple locations like Bradford, Chicago, Cleveland, Elmira, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Toronto, all on one airline! Certainly the airline industry has changed several times over throughout the past 35 years, but you have to shake your head at the heights we’ve fallen from. It really is amazing that to my knowledge, we haven’t seen a full-size jet in service to or from Erie since the months right after 9/11.
We can only dream what the massive investment on the runway will bring toward the airport’s future. If we see shades of past glory, that would be awesome.
May 8th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
WHERE DID YOU FIND THAT TIMETABLE?! How incredible!!!!! I have most of USAir’s timetables saved somewhere in a box from the 80’s and 90’s, but to see that you have an actual Allegheny timetable from 1973 is utterly fascinating!
It’s strange that you wrote about this today. Just a couple of days ago, I was looking at old timetables online as I do from time to time and I am ALWAYS amazed at some of the routes and destinations offered back in the day. In my lifetime, I only knew full-size jet service to and from Pittsburgh (and Toronto until the early 90’s) on DC-9’s, MD80’s, BAC-111’s, Fokker 100’s, 727’s, and 737’s. For a brief period in the late 80’s, Northwest had nonstop DC-9 service to and from Detroit after their merger with Republic Airlines. But other than that, I think that Pittsburgh was the only destination out of Erie on which mainline jet service was offered (in my lifetime that I can remember). There were several routes that USAir tried and failed through the 90’s such as Philadelphia and Harrisburg as well as a come-and-go-as-you-please relationship with Continental Airlines to Cleveland. Detroit has been pretty consistent on Northwest. And more recently, when Delta entered the market in 2003, service to Cincinnati was offered (and later to Atlanta) on regional jets. US Airways Express even tried a nonstop to Charlotte for a few months. But yeah, you’re right, ever since the months right after 9/11, Erie has not seen jet service aside from the occasional chartered 737’s that take people to Atlantic City. While I worked at Delta, we serviced several Allegiant MD80’s that flew direct from here to Laughlin, Nevada (another casino run). As far as scheduled mainline service, however, there hasn’t been any since (I believe) 2002. Although I don’t mind regional jets (they are far superior to prop planes), there is a strong sense of longing and nostalgia for aviation nerds like me when I take a look at the way things once were.
I am a huge proponent of the 6/24 runway extension. I am tired of hearing the naysayers say that it is unnecessary and a waste of money. There is nothing further from the truth. First and foremost, the FAA is requiring the extension for safety reasons. But of course the other reason is for regional economic gain. I am not sure if Erie will ever see mainline jet service again, but I am positive that cargo flights will start happening once the runway is extended. And that will be a really good thing for Erie’s economy. Actually, it’s interesting to watch what’s happening in the airlines right now. Airlines are starting to park some of their regional jets in favor of going back to turboprops simply because regional jets just cannot make money. Horizon, the commuter carrier for Alaska Airlines, recently announced that they were getting rid of ALL of their regional jets (I think over 70 of them) and buying Dash 8 Q400 turboprops in place of them. Although it may take a little longer to get places, these planes still hold upwards of 70-80 people and they use exponentially less fuel than their jet counterparts do.
It’s frightening, yet fascinating, to watch what is unfolding in the airline industry right now. When you think about how Allegheny ran mainline jet service from here to so many cities back in the 1970’s, it makes you wonder how that could have ever worked. With the price of oil skyrocketing on a daily basis, who knows what the airline industry of 2010 or 2020 will look like. Will the hub-and-spoke system still work? How many US airlines will there be? Will low cost carriers survive? Will flying once again become a luxury for the wealthy because ticket prices will be so high? I have a feeling that the aviation industry as a whole is going to look a lot different than it does today…and that makes me wonder where Erie will fit into it all? Very interesting thoughts, indeed. Thanks, Joel!
Dave