Short Hop Domestic Air Travel Options

[zenyata]

Hello MMM Community !

I'm wondering if anyone could provide information on how to make "alternative" travel arrangements  or if they even exist - specifically a charter flight or some sort of related service between two towns that are certainly not major hubs of aviation.

I realize this won't likely be mustachian in any sense but I'm trying to find out if there are any alternatives to making a 6 hour car trip or an equally annoying major carrier flight that ultimately doesn't cut off any time for the travel due to having to deal with major airports and non-direct flights. 

Are there any options (short of getting my own pilot's license) that serve what appears to be a lost market now (specifically I'm talking about flying from Albany, NY area to a Rochester or Buffalo, NY area municipal airfield without having to make the ridiculous detour to Philly or Baltimore etc. on the way - which appears to be the only options via mainstream airlines - there just doesn't seem to be direct service following the Erie Canal from Albany ->Syracuse->Rochester->Buffalo) ?   Or is the only other option the truly stratospheric alternative of private jets and $20k flights ?

Thanks for any insights you might be able to offer !

[zolotiyeruki]

How often do you need to travel there?  How long do you typically stay?  Depending on the situation, pursuing a pilot's license might actually be practical, but probably not.  If you can restrict your travel to daytime hours, you might get away with a Sport Pilot's license, but that's a few thousand bucks at least.  And renting an aircraft ain't cheap either--$100/hour and up, plus fuel costs.  And you have to deal with weather.  Also, keep in mind that you won't save *that* much time--in a small aircraft you're probably looking at 1.5-2 hours in the air, plus time to get to the airport in Albany, plus all the pre-flight routine, plus travel time once you arrive in Buffalo/Rochester.

There were rumblings a while back about an "Uber for airplanes," but the FAA shut that down pretty quickly.