Dave Porks Pittsburgh?

[PITbull]

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On 4/6/2003 8:52:54 PM a320av8r wrote:

That's the point. PIT IS on the chopping block. If it can make money by cutting costs so be it. If it costs $5.00 more per psgr to process through PIT than other stations, that's $5.00 per ticket you are loosing. Not in this current environment! I applaud Dave for cutting costs where he can. CLT has given to U with the new training center additions and hangar facitlities. Governor Easley is also willing to give more if it will build U's presence in NC. The state realizes what an asset U is to the region and the state. BofA is also based in CLT and is our credit card processor, handles the Dividend Miles cards, and is guaranteeing part of the $100m of the $1B loan.

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av8r,

Soooo, since your in the know on where the profit margin lies, is NC govenor willing to give U more for FREEEEE??????? If U promises more of a presence, who'se paying for it?

Don't count all your eggs over to CLT....there's one thing U mangement needs, it's PHL, and last time I checked on the map, it still sits in Pennsylvania. And, that's this state's "trump"....catch the drift? North Carolina just doesn't have all that going on.

Wish I was at that negotiating table.

 

[LambertMan]

Well first of all, the only way US would move into STL is if AA left. If AA left they wouldnt need the new terminal, they would have 40 some mainline and a handful of RJ gates for the taking. I''m curious...you people say that PIT is like a ghost town, is it really that empty? And if they would move to STL ( I know this is speculation) would they use more mainline out of STL than PIT. Any responses would be appreciated.

 

[brandnewsin1]

quick way to cut costs at PIT.

ONLY USE THE GATES YOU NEED.

1/2 the gates are empty all day on B gates. Half the gates on A gates ahave tumbleweed blowing around on them. E Gates is like a morgue. consolidate your operation and let the airport find other airlines to come in and take over some gates, and have them foot the bill for the changes to the belt system. All the A Gates jetways are now RJ compliant. If you squeeze the RJ''s into A 9-25, use A 1-8 for mainline jets,and send the PDT and ALG dash8''s back to E gates, you would have half of B Concourse open. Not to mention the three nights a week we have NO PLANES AFTER 7PM. PIT may not be a good BIG hub, but it would be a kick ass MEDIUM SIZE hub. The entire airport is geared to U, they aint gonna find that anywhere else right now unless they get STL or IND to build brand new terminals.

 

[PITbull]

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On 4/6/2003 10:29:02 PM delldude wrote:

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On 4/6/2003 7:33:35 PM PITbull wrote:

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On 4/6/2003 7:01:10 PM a320av8r wrote:

The problem was that there were many connections but no profit. You can connect all day long but if you can''t make money doing it, it doesn''t do any good. PIT is a high cost station, period.

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I also know that it is not the idea of this mangement to "pull out" of PIT if they do not get the ideal deal; its the majority of the new board that decides these matters.

pitbull: doc bronner and his band of merry pranksters have the controling votes on the board.

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Dell,

Yea, I know. Unfortunate for us in PIT.

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[brandnewsin1]

At this point, the only time the airport is busy is peak times. Very little traffic before noon or after 6 pm. Flight schedules have been cut down to the point that if you are connecting, you have a maximum of 30 min. unless you wanna sit there for 6 hours. The businesses are closing at a rate of one a week and some actually close at 6 pm now.

 

[DCAflyer]

USAirBoyA330 said:

We all know PitBull belive me. What a great idea having PitBull in negotiations. OH WAIT...never mind. She won''t like what''s going on and storm out like last time.


DCAflyer says:

ROTFLMAO.

 

[USAirBoyA330]

We all know PitBull belive me. What a great idea having PitBull in negotiations. OH WAIT...never mind. She won''t like what''s going on and storm out like last time.

 

[USAirBoyA330]

DCAFlyer:

Sorry not up on all the codes. ROTFLMAO?

 

[repeet]

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On 4/7/2003 9:00:32 AM USAirBoyA330 wrote:

DCAFlyer:

Sorry not up on all the codes. ROTFLMAO?

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R olling
O n
T he
F loor
L aughing
M y
A $$
O ff.

AFAIK (As Far As I Know)

 

[PITbull]

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On 4/7/2003 9:31:27 AM repeet wrote:

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On 4/7/2003 9:00:32 AM USAirBoyA330 wrote:

DCAFlyer:

Sorry not up on all the codes. ROTFLMAO?

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R olling
O n
T he
F loor
L aughing
M y
A $$
O ff.

AFAIK (As Far As I Know)

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Ha, ha, ha,....wouldn't it just be a howl!!!!!!!!




Nice to see the "fan club" is still around.

 

[CLTBWIDAYSYR]

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On 4/6/2003 9:43:36 PM PITbull wrote:

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On 4/6/2003 8:52:54 PM a320av8r wrote:

That's the point. PIT IS on the chopping block. If it can make money by cutting costs so be it. If it costs $5.00 more per psgr to process through PIT than other stations, that's $5.00 per ticket you are loosing. Not in this current environment! I applaud Dave for cutting costs where he can. CLT has given to U with the new training center additions and hangar facitlities. Governor Easley is also willing to give more if it will build U's presence in NC. The state realizes what an asset U is to the region and the state. BofA is also based in CLT and is our credit card processor, handles the Dividend Miles cards, and is guaranteeing part of the $100m of the $1B loan.

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av8r,

Soooo, since your in the know on where the profit margin lies, is NC govenor willing to give U more for FREEEEE??????? If U promises more of a presence, who'se paying for it?

Don't count all your eggs over to CLT....there's one thing U mangement needs, it's PHL, and last time I checked on the map, it still sits in Pennsylvania. And, that's this state's "trump"....catch the drift? North Carolina just doesn't have all that going on.


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I don't think this is a p*ssing contest. It's pure and simple economics. Charlotte costs less per passenger to operate than Pittsburgh. So toot your 'Burgher horn all day, but unless you can lower costs at Pittsburgh/Wheeling Int'l it ain't gonna work.

 

[FlyingHippie]

You guys are making much ado about nothing. In the current sadistic airline management scheme of things, who else would want to put a hub in Pittsburgh? Point blank, US Airways is holding a gun to PIT - they''ll flinch and give in. It''s just so refreshing to see the "Jesse James School of Management" playing Russian Roulette with somebody else other than employees. How can the employees possibly feel sorry for the local feds when they''ve been pistol whipped for the past 16 months by Jesee and the gang. Beware: tactics like this have a way of "backfiring" at some point, someday, sometime.

 

[usfliboi]

County may file challenge to US Airways'' move to reject airport leases

Tuesday, April 08, 2003

By Mark Belko and Frank Reeves, Post-Gazette Staff Writers







The Allegheny County Airport Authority may challenge the right of US Airways to reject its leases at Pittsburgh International Airport, a move certain to strain the already tense relationship between county officials and Pittsburgh''s dominant carrier.

Glenn Mahone, airport authority board chairman, said yesterday the agency may file objections to the carrier''s action in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, claiming the decision to reject the leases moments before the airline emerged from bankruptcy protection violated the letter and spirit of the federal bankruptcy code. The authority has until Thursday to do so.

US Airways spokesman David Castelveter declined to comment directly on the threat of legal action. "Our intent is to resolve this issue through direct negotiations with Allegheny County executives," he said.

In an 11th-hour filing before emerging from bankruptcy last week, US Airways rejected its leases at Pittsburgh International and gave county and airport authority officials until January to renegotiate the leases at lower fees than the airline is paying now.

Allegheny County Chief Executive Jim Roddey said last week US Airways might abandon Pittsburgh as a hub if the airline can''t reduce its costs at the airport.

Authority Executive Director Kent George added yesterday that even if the airline gets the concessions it wants, it still could drop its Pittsburgh hub, depending on the state of the airline industry as a result of the war and the economy.

"Even if we do everything they ask for, they''re not making any promises," he said.

In court, the authority may challenge the right of the airline to "prospectively" reject the leases as of January 2004. Mahone said leases traditionally have been accepted or rejected as of the date a bankruptcy plan is confirmed.

Officials also may claim they were misled by US Airways in the weeks leading up to the airline''s emergence from bankruptcy. During a meeting with the Post-Gazette editorial board yesterday, Mahone and George said US Airways had confirmed two days before coming out of bankruptcy that it was assuming the airport leases.

It did not file to reject them until 21 minutes before the deadline.

Had the airline rejected the airport leases earlier in bankruptcy, the authority most likely would have filed a claim for the $673 million in debt on the airport terminal, the bulk of which US Airways is obligated to pay off under its leases.

Mahone said the airline''s reorganization plan, as constituted, never would have been approved by the court knowing that a potential $673 million liability existed.

During the bankruptcy proceedings, the airport authority did not object to the US Airways reorganization plan because it believed the airline would assume its leases at Pittsburgh International.

Instead of going to court, the authority is still hoping to work out a deal with the carrier through negotiations. It has asked the airline to sign a stipulation setting a 60-day timetable to renegotiate lease terms while preserving the authority''s right to file a challenge in bankruptcy court.

George said the authority is carefully evaluating its strategy with an eye toward protecting nearly 9,000 US Airways jobs in the region.

However, if the authority challenges US Airways in court, its case probably will be on shaky legal ground, said William Lauer, chairman of the Tarentum-based Allegheny Capital Management.

"Contract rejection is an absolute right" of US Airways or any company in bankruptcy protection, he said. "During every stage of the proceeding, the leases were subject to a unilateral rejection."

US Airways decided to reject the leases even as it sought $115 million in financing for new, retrofitted and expanded facilities at the airport, including terminal modifications and hangar improvements. It also wants another $40 million to build a maintenance hangar and training center for its regional jet operation.

George and Mahone expect those requests, which would be financed through public dollars or passenger facility fees, to become part of the larger negotiations with the airline over lowering lease costs.



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Mark Belko can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-1262. Frank Reeves can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-1565.

 

[delldude]

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On 4/7/2003 7:49:30 PM FlyingHippie wrote:

You guys are making much ado about nothing. In the current sadistic airline management scheme of things, who else would want to put a hub in Pittsburgh? Point blank, US Airways is holding a gun to PIT - they''ll flinch and give in. It''s just so refreshing to see the "Jesse James School of Management" playing Russian Roulette with somebody else other than employees. How can the employees possibly feel sorry for the local feds when they''ve been pistol whipped for the past 16 months by Jesee and the gang. Beware: tactics like this have a way of "backfiring" at some point, someday, sometime.

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personaly,i prefer the "deer hunter" negotiations and contract modifications method.

 

[bigbusdrvr]

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On 4/8/2003 10:34:10 AM delldude wrote:

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On 4/7/2003 7:49:30 PM FlyingHippie wrote:

You guys are making much ado about nothing.  In the current sadistic airline management scheme of things, who else would want to put a hub in Pittsburgh?  Point blank, US Airways is holding a gun to PIT - they''ll flinch and give in.  It''s just so refreshing to see the "Jesse James School of Management" playing Russian Roulette with somebody else other than employees.  How can the employees possibly feel sorry for the local feds when they''ve been pistol whipped for the past 16 months by Jesee and the gang.  Beware: tactics like this have a way of "backfiring" at some point, someday, sometime. 

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personaly,i prefer the "deer hunter" negotiations and contract modifications method.

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I was based in pit during the 90''s. If my memorie serves me, the mayor or some city higher up was making a big to-do about driving to cleveland to fly because usair rates were to expensive. I think there is a bus service now catering to the business traveler, internet access etc., that serves pit-cle!!

Well, grandma always said be careful what you wish for. Looks like these pit folks will be driving to cle whether they want to or not!!!

It was the last bastion of the hardcore alegheny mentality anyway, I say GOOD RIDDANCE.