Flying out of Gainesville is a chore. Not because Gainesville Regional Airport is lacking, but because to get anywhere from our tiny airport requires you to fly into the veritable labyrinth that is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Aside from requiring a 5K running time under 15 minutes to make it across the sprawling hub for a connecting flight, the Atlanta airport seems to emit a magnetic field that causes all manner of mechanical glitches and inopportune flight cancellations. If we didn’t know any better we would say it was all a racket to force people into staying overnight and touring the Coca-Cola Co. plant.
Come Oct. 1, though, it will be possible to fly to almost anywhere in the country out of Gainesville. Thanks to a deal between Gainesville Regional Airport and American Eagle Airlines, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, two round-trip flights to Miami will be added to the daily flight schedule.
While it might not make sense on paper to fly hundreds of miles south in order to catch a flight to New York, Chicago or Los Angeles, believe us when we say it will save a lot of time in the long run. It will probably save the average traveler money when the cost of over-priced airport food and magazines are factored into the inevitable delay in Atlanta.
We don’t have anything against Atlanta – it’s an alright city. But we are not too eager to fly through it unless it is our final destination. That said, we are counting down the days to when flying out of Gainesville is a little less painful.
