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Taking the plane to the bus to the train just got a little easier in Newburgh, N.Y.

That's good for people from the Triad who are planning to use Skybus Airlines to go to New York City when the airline begins service to Newburgh later this month.

The New York Department of Transportation has added weekend bus service from Newburgh's Stewart International Airport to Beacon Station, where trains leave for Manhattan.

The DOT also added an extra bus each day to handle the passengers coming from Columbus, Ohio, and soon from Piedmont Triad International Airport.

"Ridership to the airport was terrible from the day we opened it to the day Skybus passengers started to use it, and I think that says it all," said David Markowitz, the project manager for transit services in the DOT's Hudson Valley division. "Since Skybus started delivering passengers, we've tried to respond."

Markowitz said the buses will be bigger than those on earlier runs and will have room for passengers' luggage — all for the bargain price of $1 per state-subsidized fare.

Trains on the Metro North line from Beacon Station go to Grand Central Station in the heart of New York City.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey now operates Stewart airport, and Markowitz said that could eventually mean a seamless experience for passengers headed to Manhattan.

The railroad intends to talk to Skybus about doing some sort of "uniticket," Markowitz said. "You'd already have the bus and the train in one ticket."

Trips from the airport will take about an hour and 45 minutes, he said.

Train service is good for the most part, Markowitz said, but there are gaps very early in the morning and late at night.

Skybus has not made a specific effort to improve the transportation, but it always supports upgrades, said Bob Tenenbaum, a Skybus spokesman.

"Improving the ground transportation is something that Skybus is always interested in," he said. "We know that the Port Authority is very interested in improving ground transportation, and I would guess there are a lot of discussions going on involving a lot of people."

Bus service might also take up the slack in driving passengers to Manhattan, but commuter buses don't stop at the airport right now, Markowitz said.

"We're talking to (bus companies) about what they may do," he said.

Contact Richard M. Barron at 373-7371 or richard.barron@news-record.com