Us Airways Previews Pittsburgh Fall Schedule

[mweiss]

Of the other 19, does anyone know how many are leased by other carriers?

I walked through the terminal looking for that answer back in the late winter/early spring. All I saw that looked truly abandoned were two gates on the D concourse, on the even side between the DL and AA gates.

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

That was ClueByFour.

 

[BoeingBoy]

Thanks,

Jim

 

[ClueByFour]

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

'Twas me, up until a year and change ago, although I still spend a bit of time in that neck of the woods.

There were (last time I checked) a few empty gates on D, but I suspect with the US drawdown that some member of the CO/NW/DL lashup will grab these.

UA and AC (last I checked) had a few C gates, and I suspect that even if the FRA flight stays that US will drop to 1 gate on C, thus enabling a few gates to open now.

Particularly in light of the current and forthcoming (slots bond) debt reduction at PIT, I suspect it's just a matter of time. Once US voluntarily reduces PIT to a focus city, if I'm WN, I roll the steamroller over to PIT and take care of business.

 

[gso2pit]

Boeingboy---

Here is the PIT gate makeup:

US A1-25
US B26-50
US 2 zones of gates on E concourse. part of building is shut down, walled off
____________________________________________________
AC C 51 **handled by UA
YX C 51**handled by UA
HP D 79 **handled by CO
TZ D 87 **handled by AA
***************************
UA C 51 53
FL C 52 54
USA 3000 C 58

Transatlantic gates C 55 57 59 60 61 are controlled by ACAA and CBP/DHS. They are common-use and are given out on an "as needed" basis like at SEA. Therefore, US has no lease on them. UA will park RON a/c on 55/57 and then tow into their own area as CBP will not allow them to have departing a/c there.
*****************************************
AA D 86 87 88 89
NW D 81 83
CO D 77 79
DL 76 78 80
***********************************
Vacant:
D 82 84 Former Vanguard Airlines gates

C 56 Former TWA gate

 

[BoeingBoy]

Thanks, gso2pit. Good info.

Jim

 

[FM2436]

"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." ACAA should be tickled to death with this plan.

Operate in 28 of PITs Top 30 O&D markets, sounds like a good idea. Point-to-point service from a rolling "focus hub" with GoFare type fares. What opportunity would when a Southwest, jetBlue or AirTran have in PIT. US Airways would be doing nothing less and certainly nothing more than would any other LCC at PIT.

 

[FM2436]

Operate in 28 of PITs Top 30 O&D markets, sounds like a good idea. Point-to-point service from a rolling "focus hub" with GoFare type fares. What opportunity would when a Southwest, jetBlue or AirTran have in PIT. US Airways would be doing nothing less and certainly nothing more than would any other LCC at PIT.

Permit me to make a correction to my pervious quote. Mr. Chiames did not make the comment "ACAA should be tickled to death with this plan".

FM2436 made the comment, "ACAA should be tickled to death with this plan". While previewing my pervious reply to quote, I accidently typed the tickled to death comment in the Original Post to Quote box.

 

[ITRADE]

I think ultimately that you're still going to see PIT a smaller, focus city operation - as others have made obvious - but with enough flights to make US a presence in the area and enough presence to spoil the aspirations of other carriers in setting up a hub. Folks were licking their chops when there were rumors that AA was going to completely gut STL. And when AA pulled down part of STL, but not all of STL, it became clear that the presence of AA at STL (and WN) was enough to hold the market share and to ensure that any major forray by another carrier into STL would kill both carriers.

 

[ClueByFour]

Operate in 28 of PITs Top 30 O&D markets, sounds like a good idea. Point-to-point service from a rolling "focus hub" with GoFare type fares. What opportunity would when a Southwest, jetBlue or AirTran have in PIT. US Airways would be doing nothing less and certainly nothing more than would any other LCC at PIT.

You assume GoFares. My bet is that that will never happen (as it has not happened anywhere on U's route network that was not facing LCC pressure).

Regarding the STL to PIT comparison, STL had WN to begin with. To repeat: without GoFares (which CCY has not done anywhere not facing LCC competition) the fares at PIT will remain high (focus city or not) and thus make it an underserved market with decent O&D.

Once the debt drops and WN builds up PHL a bit, don't be suprised to see them come across the state.

 

[ITRADE]

You assume GoFares. My bet is that that will never happen (as it has not happened anywhere on U's route network that was not facing LCC pressure).

Regarding the STL to PIT comparison, STL had WN to begin with. To repeat: without GoFares (which CCY has not done anywhere not facing LCC competition) the fares at PIT will remain high (focus city or not) and thus make it an underserved market with decent O&D.

Decent O/D! HAHAHAHHAHA. You're killing me.

 

[FM2436]

You assume GoFares. My bet is that that will never happen (as it has not happened anywhere on U's route network that was not facing LCC pressure).

GoFares will have to be introduced at PIT or else US Airways will open PIT to the likes of Southwest, jetBlue, and AirTrans, or US Airways will have a repeat of BWI but at PIT.

 

[mweiss]

Decent O/D! HAHAHAHHAHA. You're killing me.

How about phrasing it differently: decent O&D potential. Just not at the usury fares.

 

[sfb]

How about phrasing it differently: decent O&D potential. Just not at the usury fares.

You ain't kidding there. I think it's very telling that RDU, BNA, and IND are comparable to PIT for O&D traffic (RDU is actually 10% higher), and yet all are considerably smaller in metro population. The metro areas supporting RDU and BNA are barely half as large as PIT's.

I continue to maintain that scaling back PIT without implementing GoFares at the downgraded focus city will provide a golden opportunity for a low-fare carrier to build up service there. My guess is that it would be WN, FL, or B6. And it will look like BWI yet again -- except faster.

 

[ClueByFour]

Decent O/D! HAHAHAHHAHA. You're killing me.

Really?

On par with CVG and CLE, and more than what BNA and RDU were at post-AA.

Of course, others have pointed this out to you.

I think the telling thing here is the "O&D potential." When you have a market whose O&D numbers underperform the population of the MSA, it's a telling sign that the problem is with fares.

PHL, Natch.

But you knew that. So do you think that LUV, for instance, was foolish to enter the Nashville and RDU markets? I mean, the O&D would make you laugh, right?

 

[ITRADE]

Really?

On par with CVG and CLE, and more than what BNA and RDU were at post-AA.

You'll note that neither CLE nor CVG ran 250+ mainline flights as PIT once did. AA ran hundreds of flights out of both cities and decided that it did not work there.

I think the telling thing here is the "O&D potential." When you have a market whose O&D numbers underperform the population of the MSA, it's a telling sign that the problem is with fares.

Does CVG have this problem?

But you knew that. So do you think that LUV, for instance, was foolish to enter the Nashville and RDU markets? I mean, the O&D would make you laugh, right?

WN was at BNA before AA pulled the plug on the hub there. While WN entered RDU after the egress of AA in 1994, you'll note that neither airport serves as a hub for another carrier as folks have envisioned for PIT. AirTran has not hubbed at BNA or RDU; Jetblue hasn't; ATA hasn't; America West hasn't. Nothing's holding them back...