Us Airways Previews Pittsburgh Fall Schedule

[USFlyer]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040720/dctu018_1.html

Press Release Source: US Airways


US Airways Previews Pittsburgh Fall Schedule
Tuesday July 20, 12:45 pm ET
Airline Looks to Operate Approximately 240 Nonstop Flights to More Than 65 Cities


ARLINGTON, Va., July 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- US Airways representatives met with Pittsburgh-area officials today to reassure them that the airline will continue to offer nonstop service in its fall schedule to the most popular destinations for travel from Western Pennsylvania.
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With the Nov. 4, 2004, schedule, US Airways and US Airways Express tentatively plan to continue to operate about 240 daily nonstop departures at Pittsburgh to about 65 markets.

"Customers who originate their travel in Pittsburgh will be able to continue to fly US Airways conveniently to the most popular destinations for local travelers," said Christopher L. Chiames, US Airways senior vice president of Corporate Affairs. "We plan to operate nonstop service in 28 of the top 30 markets served today from Pittsburgh, and will remain the airport's largest carrier."

Chiames said that a detailed schedule will not be available until mid- to late August, when it is filed and the flights are available for sale through the airline and travel agents. Until that time, it is doubtful that the full details will be released. The proposed schedule is contingent on several factors, including the continued delivery of new regional jets, as planned. Furthermore, the decision to maintain turbo-prop service from Pittsburgh to some small cities is dependent on contracted airlines continuing to provide that service. Those affiliate carriers fly as US Airways Express, but they are independent carriers, and may choose to change their service patterns at Pittsburgh.

As US Airways transitions to its new fall schedule, there will be a slight reduction of service for the months August-October, primarily because affiliate carriers are reducing or eliminating service. For example, Shuttle America announced that it would discontinue Pittsburgh-Toledo service effective Aug. 1, 2004, and Air Midwest announced that it will discontinue Pittsburgh-Reading service on Sept. 5, 2004.

Under the proposed schedule in development, US Airways could operate about 70 mainline departures, 80 regional-jet departures, 25 wholly owned turbo-prop departures and 65 affiliate turbo-prop departures. Today, US Airways operates 107 mainline flights, 122 regional jet flights, 53 wholly owned turbo-prop flights and 91 affiliate turbo-prop flights at Pittsburgh, serving 102 destinations with nonstop flights.

"For the October through January period, Pittsburgh will still operate more or less like a traditional airline hub, but with less flying and fewer destinations," said Chiames. "We will continue to transition Pittsburgh in 2005, but we see our service being maintained to the top business and leisure market destinations so that travelers wanting to get to and from Pittsburgh will have convenient options."




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Source: US Airways

 

[mweiss]

240 flights don't need fifty gates. Thirty would do the job well. Paying for an extra 40% of gates is insanity.

 

[USFlyer]

Remember all but 10 gates are leased month-to-month. I would expect US to drop the leases on some. Also, PIT is looking to operate more like SEA does, where no airline "owns" gates per se. It makes for better use of resources.

 

[USA320Pilot]

The Pittsburgh gates are leased on a month-to-month basis and some will be incrementally rejected as the pull down occurs. The exact makeup of mainline/MDA and Express flights is still being determined, dependent upon labor negotiations, RJ delivery/affiliate carrier discussions, and market planning.

Expect a greater pull down in the late winter as the company transitions to the summer 2005 schedule, completes the change from a hub to a "focus" city, and fully implements the operational portion of the new business plan.

Respectfully,

USA320Pilot

 

[700UW]

It will be 70 mainline flights, got it from a secret source who called to let us know before it was released to the press.

 

[phillyguy]

so why does PIT keep a 737 to IAH and PHL only gets a E70?

 

[johnnyfleet]

Reuters
US Airways to cut 135 daily flights at Pittsburgh
Tuesday July 20, 4:37 pm ET
By Joan Gralla


NEW YORK, July 20 (Reuters) - US Airways (NasdaqNM:UAIR - News) plans to slash service by some 135 daily flights at Pittsburgh International Airport in November, downgrading the city from a "hub" to a "focus city," airport officials said on Tuesday.
In a statement issued earlier on Tuesday, the struggling No. 7 U.S. airline said it planned to keep about 240 daily nonstop departures from Pittsburgh to about 65 markets. That would be a steep cut from its current roster of around 375 daily flights.

A spokesman for US Airways was not immediately available to comment on the planned reduction in flights.

In its statement, US Airways said it met with Pittsburgh-area officials on Tuesday to discuss the reduced schedule, which takes effect on Nov. 4.

"This is the first time US Airways has notified Pittsburgh exactly what their plans were in November," said Joanne Jenny, a spokeswoman for Allegheny County Airport, which runs Pittsburgh's airport. "They were saying they were going to reduce from a hub to a focus city."

After a bruising series of talks, Pittsburgh airport and US Airways agreed in January that the carrier would only lease 10 gates on a long-term basis, down from the 50 gates it had previously leased on that basis.

The carrier, which had dominated the airport with 80 percent of all flights, was then free to slash service at Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh officials were eager to avoid cutbacks that would hurt the local job market. US Airways employs just under 7,000 people in the Pittsburgh area. That is a big drop from the 11,000 workers it had before it started cutting service.

US Airways, based in Arlington, Virginia, last month cut fares on some major routes to fend off stiff competition from from low-cost rivals Southwest Airlines (NYSE:LUV - News) in Philadelphia and the recently introduced Independence Air in Washington.

But Standard & Poor's in early May cut US Airways' rating to "CCC+" from "B-", adding its outlook was negative.

The below-investment grade rating reflected the company's need to reduce labor costs, though workers already took pay cuts in both 2002 and 2003, the credit agency said.

"Failure to conclude those negotiations successfully over the next several quarters could force US Airways to undertake significant asset sales and/or file for bankruptcy a second time," Standard & Poor's warned.

US Airways exited bankruptcy 15 months ago.

US Airways Chief Executive Bruce Lakefield said last week that the carrier was the "most vulnerable" among its troubled peers and that he could not preserve any jobs with certainty given the airline's high costs.

 

[ELP_WN_Psgr]

Not to be a smart aleck or anything, and goodness knows USAirways doesn't need to worry about WN since only cheap, trashy people like me who shop at WalMart fly them, but I think I just figured out where the gates WN wants at Pittsburgh are going to come from.

 

[USFlyer]

Not to be a smart aleck or anything, and goodness knows USAirways doesn't need to worry about WN since only cheap, trashy people like me who shop at WalMart fly them, but I think I just figured out where the gates WN wants at Pittsburgh are going to come from.

What are you talking about? PIT has lots of spare gates WN could have picked up a year ago.

 

[usair_begins_with_u]

Paying for an extra 40% of gates is insanity.

Ahh.. starting to see a theme mweiss? Insane fares, insane costs?

 

[Heinrich]

since only cheap, trashy people like me who shop at WalMart fly them, but I think I just figured out where the gates WN wants at Pittsburgh are going to come from.

You noticed that too?

 

[BoeingBoy]

USFlyer,

You live up there, so I don't want to disagree too much, but there are 69 domestic gates in the "big X" with U leasing 50 of them. Of the other 19, does anyone know how many are leased by other carriers?

Jim

 

[USFlyer]

You live up there

I'm not sure I know what you mean by that. I don't live anywhere near PIT.

 

[BoeingBoy]

Sorry, got you confused with someone else that said their office overlooked the PIT hangers.

Jim

 

[mweiss]

Ahh.. starting to see a theme mweiss? Insane fares, insane costs?

Starting???