When making their next trip home, students may be able to take a new travel route using a service from Trenton-Mercer Airport to Pittsburgh International Airport, scheduled to begin Oct. 6.
Shuttle America, a US Airways Express carrier and the only airline operating out of Trenton-Mercer, will begin offering two flights daily to Pittsburgh, which is a US Airways hub. Previously, the airline only traveled to Bedford, Mass., a suburb of Boston.
With this one added destination, passengers can connect to more than 50 destinations, said Kurt Neinstedt, regional sales and marketing manager for Shuttle America. This change could make a big difference for students who dread the trip to Newark or Philadelphia international airports. Trenton-Mercer is 12 miles southwest of Princeton.
"The airport is very convenient. There's free parking for everybody, and we also have extremely convenient interstate access" said Justin Edwards, airport manager. "Also, unlike larger airports like Philadelphia, going from the parking lot to the gate only takes five to 10 minutes. This is a huge timesaver."
A cabin-class 33-passenger SAAB 340 aircraft will transport passengers on the 90-minute trip to Pittsburgh.
The scheduled arrivals of the flights will coincide with connections in Pittsburgh to limit layovers. Neinstedt said the pricing of the planes will be almost identical to the price structure at Philadelphia, with the costs varying from $118 for a round-trip flight to $328 for a one-way flight.
Edwards said the development could offer an advantage for Princeton students as well as students at neighboring institutions.
However, some students were skeptical that the service would be more convenient and said they would rather take a direct flight.
Brian Jaffe '06 of Portland said, "I'll probably still go to Newark because it's a direct flight from Newark to Portland."
Courtney Goodwin '05 of Miami also said direct flights are a priority.
"I'd definitely look into Trenton, and it's nice to have a close option.," she said. "But if you wait between connecting flights, it can take as long as a direct flight from Newark."
However, Edwards said the airport will become more accessible and useful in the future.
"We're going to see an increase in usership. Only time will tell, but we hope that down the road, Shuttle America will add more point-to-point flights," Edwards said. "Some great things will happen."
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