What is the Purpose Of Purdue Airport?

An image of the Purdue University airport.

Recently it was announced that after a two-decade hiatus, Purdue University Airport will now have nonstop flights to Chicago. But why? Chicago is only a two-hour drive from West Lafayette and a flight there seems like a waste of time and money. There are already buses and companies that take people from the campus to either the city or O’Hare. This is a perfect example of why America needs to invest in building a rail network because there is no way there should be flights when there is less than a three-hour distance.