ALBANY — Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, criticized for roundabout flights at taxpayer expense from his Manhattan home through Washington to work in Albany, has started taking more of the cheaper direct flights upstate following an internal review.

But Silver won’t totally give up the connecting flights through Washington he sometimes uses instead of more economical and quicker alternatives like an Amtrak train or state car.

The circuitous routes, generating frequent flyer miles for Silver along the way, are allowed under a legislative travel policy that good government groups say needs an overhaul.

The New York Sun, citing state Comptroller’s records, reported last month that Silver’s flights cost taxpayers $500 to $760, or four times the expense of taking a train, with no discernible savings in time.

Assembly spokesman Dan Weiller said, however, that the Assembly’s review of Silver’s travel records over three and a half years found the average cost was $456, including direct flights to Albany, and the highest fare was $769, paid once.

Of 110 flights over that period, 57 went through Washington, Weiller said.

“Speaker Silver generally uses commercial airlines to travel between New York City and Albany because he has found it the easiest and most efficient way to travel,” Weiller said. “At certain times in recent years, there were few scheduled nonstop flights between New York City and Albany so the speaker has taken some connecting flights.”

Weiller said Silver is now taking more of the direct flights as airlines scheduled more of them.

A schedule from Albany International Airport shows the number and timing of direct flights vary by the month.

There are now five flights daily between LaGuardia Airport and Albany International Airport, up from four in October 2007, said Doug Myers, spokesman for the Albany airport.

The number of flights during this year’s January-to-June session of the Legislature varied from two to four daily.

In June, for example, the last, hectic month of the regular legislative session, there just two flights a day, according to the airport schedule.

Weiller says Silver doesn’t take the train because it’s difficult to conduct confidential work and many of the passengers in the Manhattan-to-Albany route are state employees, lobbyists, or political staffers.

He doesn’t use a state-paid driver for an Assembly car, as allowed under state policy, which could allow him greater freedom to conduct business en route.

A comparison of a typical week’s travel shows that the earliest flight from LaGuardia to Albany, 8:10 a.m., costs $119 one way.

Other departures can result in one-way fares ranging from $139 flying coach to $650 flying first class, before frequent flyer discounts for which Silver would qualify.

The New York-Washington-Albany trip costs $659 one way, with a first-class ticket, but that’s before frequent flyer and other discounts.

The direct flight is usually on a twin-engine turboprop plane and takes one hour and 20 minutes. The Washington route uses larger jets and can take four hours and 20 minutes.

As for the train, most coach tickets on Amtrak cost between $36 and $69 one way, for the trip that takes two hours and 30 minutes.

Silver is paid $121,500 a year in what amount to full-time duties as a legislator and leader.

He also has a private law practice based in Manhattan. Silver keeps the lucrative frequent flyer miles as allowed by state policy, but has not yet used them.

Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group says an independent panel needs to set appropriate travel expenses to be reimbursed by taxpayers and frequent flyer miles should be used to reduce the cost of state-paid travel.

“The state is facing a multibillion dollar deficit,” he said. “Everyone should be cutting back, including lawmakers.”

Legislative expense reports show Silver spent far more than his longtime counterpart, Republican Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, who retired this summer.

But Bruno, who lives a short drive from Albany, often used Senate cars or state aircraft. Because records identify only a staffer authorized to use a Senate car, there’s no specific accounting of Bruno’s trips as a passenger. Lawmakers’ use of state aircraft has since been restricted by the state Public Integrity Commission.

Bruno’s successor, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos of Long Island, has a driver and a Senate car to take him to Albany.

The driver is Gail Skelos, his wife, who has been on the Senate payroll since 1977. She is paid $106,392 a year as director of appointments.