Most flights into Erie connect through Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, or Detroit. If you are flying into Erie, the Avalon hotel runs a complimentary shuttle from the airport to the hotel. Call the Avalon to make arrangements for pickup.
Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo are all 90-110 miles from Erie.
Flying into one of these airports and then driving ~1.5 hours may be a convenient option, particularly if you want to check out Three Rivers Stadium (Pittsburgh), Falling Water (Mill Run, PA), The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or Cedar Point Amusement Park (Cleveland), or Niagara Falls and the “original” buffalo wing (Buffalo). You will not need a car in Erie for events, all transportation will be arranged and the airport is close to downtown.
If you are traveling alone and don’t want to rent a car, there is a bus that runs from the Cleveland Airport to downtown Erie for ~$30/ each way: Anderson AirLink
Cleveland: 100 miles
Pittsburgh: 120 miles
Buffalo: 90 miles
Niagara Falls: 110 miles
Meadville: 35 miles
Chautauqua, NY: 30 miles
…and for those of you that think you are heading to the edges of civilization once you leave Manhattan: “Erie is within 500 miles of more than half of the U.S. population and is accessible by automobile, boat, plane, train, or bus!”
- random website