Airport catchment and leakage in a multi-airport region: The case of Harrisburg International

This paper presents a spatial analysis of the market area of Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) in south-central Pennsylvania using a Zip-code level spatial database of a sample of airport customers. Using a Geographic Information System and regression techniques, a description of MDT’s market area is presented in relation to a variety of demographic and geographic variables. The results show clear patterns of possible airport substitution – particularly between MDT and Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI). These results are corroborated with a simple route-level regression analysis showing relative passenger levels at MDT versus BWI in relation to fare differences and other factors.