US Airways is flying to Pittsburgh again.

The airline discontinued service between the University Park Airport and the Pittsburgh International Airport last year. As of Thursday, though, the service is back in operation, with daily US Airways Express flights each seating 37 passengers.

Reinstating these flights is a positive move for US Airways as well as the State College area. But a flight service from State College to Pittsburgh may not seem very useful, considering the two lie only about 130 miles and three hours apart by car.

And US Airways spokesman David Castelveter said the cheapest price available for a round-trip flight from State College to Pittsburgh is about $460, compared to a round-trip flight to Los Angeles, which costs about $440.

So will people pay hundreds of dollars to fly to Pittsburgh, when they could just as easily drive there for the cost of a tank of gas?

Students probably will not. But the University Park Airport does not, like many businesses in State College do, revolve around only students.

To those who are permanent residents of the area and use the airport regularly, having more flight options is always better.

The airport is already very small, with few destinations that can be reached by a single flight. More flights to Pittsburgh, though, mean more opportunities for connecting flights.

From Pittsburgh, travelers -- including those students who live far enough away from Penn State to need to fly home -- can get just about anywhere they want to go. The whole trip will often be cheaper than the cost of the trip on a turboprop from just State College to Pittsburgh.

In theory, it might also seem better to drive to Pittsburgh, or another large airport such as Philadelphia or Newark, and fly directly from there to save on costs.

For some, though, the extra money may be worth saving the time or trouble of making the drive.

The question for the airline is whether or not those requests will equal ticket sales now that the flights are being offered again. If it finds it is unable to fill one flight each way per day, US Airways could look more closely at the popularity of the service on particular days and around particular times of the year.

It may be more cost effective -- and still serve the needs of residents and students -- to offer flights to Pittsburgh and back only on weekends and around university breaks.

If US Airways is willing to offer these flights, though, it certainly can't hurt. Most travelers like to have choices.