Airline Cutbacks Are Taking Away the Joys of Smaller Cities

When I lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for five years, there were a bunch of things I wanted to see and do. As if the culture and diversity of one of the greatest college towns in America weren’t enough, I thoroughly enjoyed the city of Detroit (shoutout to The D!), the home of Motown, the gorgeous Upper Peninsula (where’s my Yoopers at?), the automobile culture and so much more.

And I loved being less than an hour’s drive from Toledo, Ohio.

That the city was that close was a bonus, but after visiting several times know it would have been one of those places I would have happily flown back to, or through, again.

No more.

Come September, cities like Toledo will lose major airline services from the likes of American, Delta and United. Toledo, home to a world-class zoo, a famous minor league baseball Mud Hens and, of course, Tony Packo’s, the beloved Hungarian eatery made famous by Maxx Klinger on the hit show M*A*S*H and serving up the best chili dog this side of Chicago.

Trending Now

Travel Intel

Australia Reunites With US Travel Leaders at Marketplace Event

The Cities Charging the Highest Tourist Tax

Choice Hotels Completes Acquisition of Radisson Hotels Americas

What the Numbers Say About the World Hotel Industry's...

United Airlines Pays Cash Deposit for 100 Air-Taxi Aircraft

It's not just Toledo, either.

Dubuque, Iowa. Ithaca, New York. Islip, New York. There are just a few of the great small cities in America that have lost or will lose, major airline services or even regional connecting services.

Dubuque is just a relay throw away from the ‘Field of Dreams’ site in Dyersville, Iowa. Ithaca is less than an hour’s drive from Corning, New York, and one of the great glass-blowing of the world. Islip is on New York’s Long Island, a stone’s throw from the Hamptons and some of the best beaches in the country and, even better, a terrific airport to fly in and out of without having to battle the daily traffic into New York City’s LaGuardia or John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Welcome to yet another ramification of the new world of airlines. It’s a perverse definition of an aviation trickle-down theory. Airlines have pilot shortages. They dip into regional airlines to fill the void at the commercial jet level. Fuel is expensive no matter what type of equipment you fly. Shortages also abound in such areas as baggage handlers.

It's not hard to connect the dots to see where airlines believe they can save money.

"We are incredibly disappointed to learn of American Airlines' decision to depart Dubuque," Molly Grover, president and CEO of the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce said in a release. "Unfortunately, this is the current trend in the aviation industry and regional airports are taking the brunt of the impact."

Customers will figure it out, of course. It’s an inconvenience, more so for some than others. Toledo residents, for example, can drive up U.S. 23 and be at Detroit Metro Airport in an hour. Not everybody in other cities have that luxury.

It’s a shame, really.

You really haven’t lived until you tried Tony Packo’s.