A Gap In The Skies

[cavalier]

article



And not even smart business wise when looking at what they feel is a “wasteâ€￾ needing dumped

 

[Winglet]

I hope if they get Lufthansa to service Pittsburgh, they charge them an arm and a leg. I'll bet the corporate travel department was bitchin and complaining why they can't get $500 RT biz class fares from U. Tell 'em to call SW or Jetblew.

 

[Light Years]

It doesn't make sense for US Airways, with limited widebodies, to have direct flights to Europe from two cities in Pennsylvania, especially with the loss of connecting traffic. Particularly when the plane could be used more profitably out of the international gateway that justifies international service.

All of the international service Pittsburgh has ever had was dependent on the USAir/ways hub. We don't see British Airways there anymore.

It would make more sense for LH. Still Star Alliance, so could still be a US codeshare flight. And LH has enough right sized aicraft for the market.

 

[eolesen]

It doesn't make sense for US Airways, with limited widebodies, to have direct flights to Europe from two cities in Pennsylvania

[post="192036"][/post]​

Some (like me) might say that it doesn't make sense for US Airways to have widebodies...

 

[cavalier]

Some (like me) might say that it doesn't make sense for US Airways to have widebodies...

[post="192151"][/post]​

I don't know, I see quite a few of them serving drinks up and down the aisles

 

[USFlyer]

I love this. PIT hates US yet then complains when US pulls back PIT. Sorry folks, but PIT is no BOS, NY, DC, etc. to warrant service to everywhere. Heck, I live in DC yet still connect everywhere I go since I fly out of DCA ... connecting does not take that much more time, despite what the article says.

 

[cavalier]

I love this. PIT hates US yet then complains when US pulls back PIT. Sorry folks, but PIT is no BOS, NY, DC, etc. to warrant service to everywhere. Heck, I live in DC yet still connect everywhere I go since I fly out of DCA ... connecting does not take that much more time, despite what the article says.

[post="192154"][/post]​

I think the article points out the fact there is money to be had in Pit but U is simply disregarding that fact. People outside of Pit act like it's the devil's lair or something as strange. I'll take Pit any day over other "more" desirable places to live after being in them and knowing what I am missing, nothing. Personally I don’t care if the airport is serviced by piper cubs. The article clearly shows millions of dollars are being disregarded by U, millions.

 

[eolesen]

I think the article points out the fact there is money to be had in Pit but U is simply disregarding that fact.
-snip-
The article clearly shows millions of dollars are being disregarded by U, millions.

[post="192158"][/post]​

Oh, please. I'm sure that if the various companies were to subsidize the route (i.e. how Airtran gets communities to fund their losses), someone would operate it. But Westinghouse et al obviously weren't willing to pony up the money before. Perhaps they, too, were in denial over how over-served PIT was.

And it isn't millions... Assuming a $400 average fare on a nonstop to FRA, this route would gross $33M. With a 5% margin, which is quite unlikely, the profit would be just $1.6M for the year. And that's assuming 100% LF's in both directions...

 

[cavalier]

Oh, please. I'm sure that if the various companies were to subsidize the route (i.e. how Airtran gets communities to fund their losses), someone would operate it. But Westinghouse et al obviously weren't willing to pony up the money before. Perhaps they, too, were in denial over how over-served PIT was.

And it isn't millions... Assuming a $400 average fare on a nonstop to FRA, this route would gross $33M. With a 5% margin, which is quite unlikely, the profit would be just $1.6M for the year. And that's assuming 100% LF's in both directions...

[post="192163"][/post]​

These companies are putting together TEN million dollars, "which is not covered in this article" that IS millions, not pennies. Whatever. I personally don't care if U pulls out 100%, couldn't care any less. Others will and are coming and will make money that U "could" have been making, that is all the article is saying. Philly alone will not be U's savior for various reasons which I am sure you can figure out.

 

[nycbusdriver]

I think the article points out the fact there is money to be had in Pit but U is simply disregarding that fact. People outside of Pit act like it's the devil's lair or something as strange. I'll take Pit any day over other "more" desirable places to live after being in them and knowing what I am missing, nothing. Personally I don’t care if the airport is serviced by piper cubs. The article clearly shows millions of dollars are being disregarded by U, millions.

[post="192158"][/post]​

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article cited above:

"Bayer Corp., in Robinson, spent about $800,000 last year on 500 international flights from Pittsburgh, said spokesman Kit Newton. This year, Bayer anticipates workers will take about 1,300 round trips to and from Pittsburgh and Frankfurt, as its parent company is headquartered in Germany."

Let's see, that's about $1,500-$1,600 per transatlantic round trip, and there was an average of 1 to 2 Bayer employees on each flight in an airplane that holds about 200.

Yeah, there's tons of money to be had flying out of PIT to Europe. As soon as USAirways gives up the lock they have on all the gates, all the major carriers of the world will converge on PIT and offer non-stop 747's to every major city on the planet.

 

[cavalier]

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article cited above:

"Bayer Corp., in Robinson, spent about $800,000 last year on 500 international flights from Pittsburgh, said spokesman Kit Newton. This year, Bayer anticipates workers will take about 1,300 round trips to and from Pittsburgh and Frankfurt, as its parent company is headquartered in Germany."

Let's see, that's about $1,500-$1,600 per transatlantic round trip, and there was an average of 1 to 2 Bayer employees on each flight in an airplane that holds about 200.

Yeah, there's tons of money to be had flying out of PIT to Europe. As soon as USAirways gives up the lock they have on all the gates, all the major carriers of the world will converge on PIT and offer non-stop 747's to every major city on the planet.

[post="192199"][/post]​

I play with ham radio and we call the NYC crowd, cockroaches, and not the kind that fly but the real ones for the reasons you display and also the reason you can have your big city life with the "hoods" and lots of OD traffic.

Like I said but you made sure you omitted it, was the fact those companies and others have collectively put a ton of money away to lure other airlines. Ignore whatever facts you choose. Like I said, I don't care if they fly Piper Cubs only from Pit, it doesn't affect me. If they closed the airport it would not affect me, I no longer work there or get my bread and butter from U…YES!

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