"Pennsylvania airport braces for life after commercial flights"

Monday, July 12, 2004 

Airport braces for life after commercial flights
By Dwayne Pickels
The Pittsburgh (PA) Tribune-Review


Commercial flight service from Arnold Palmer Regional flew off into the
sunset Sunday, but Westmoreland County's primary airport remains open for
business. 

Yesterday marked the final US Airways Express flight from the airport in
Unity Township, ending a 19-year run of daily commuter flights to Pittsburgh
International Airport in Allegheny County. 

"The terminal is going to seem a little empty for awhile," said Jeremy
Fitzgerald, manager of the Pilot Shop and RJA Flight School there. 

Mesa Air Group Inc. announced earlier this year that it was pulling the plug
on the airport's sole commercial flight service as of July 11. The airline,
based in Phoenix, Ariz., cited a "combination of financial considerations
and network optimization." 

But Fitzgerald said his airport business "isn't going anywhere." 

And others tell a similar story. 

"We're still going to be here ," agreed Lynn Ann Malinak, president of Run
Away Travel Inc. "And we will definitely be all right." 

The absence of commuter flights "may be a blow to the airport, but it isn't
going to impact our business all that much," she said. "Most of our
customers had been flying out of Pittsburgh anyway, due to the cost and
scheduling. Those were two of the disadvantages with the service we had"
with US Airways Express. 

Airport authority Executive Director Gene Lakin said the commuter line began
flying from Latrobe to Pittsburgh in 1985, taking over for Vee Neal
Aviation, which had flown as Jetstream, and Cumberland Airlines. Those two
companies had flown the route since the mid-1970s, he said. 

But even before Mesa announced its departure, the county airport authority
had been actively courting other air carriers. 

In recent months, airport officials have stepped up talks with several
carriers that fly under the US Airways banner, including Colgan, Allegheny
and Chautauqua. Others -- such as Delta Connection, Continental Express and
Northwest Airlines -- also have been approached. 

As of yet, "we have no commitments from anyone," airport manager Gabe Monzo
said. 

Although officials remain "optimistic" about the airport's prospects, Monzo
said: "I wouldn't say that it will be within the next few months." 

Many of the airlines "seem to be looking to see what US Airways is going to
do in Pittsburgh," he said. "But we're not trying to compete with
Pittsburgh; we're just trying to provide service to our community." 

Lakin noted that work is ahead of schedule on the authority's $10 million
runway extension project, and the state Department of Transportation is
finalizing plans to widen Route 981 to four lanes from Route 30 to the
airport area. 

"There's no question that we have something to offer, and the proof in our
corner is that there was nearly 20 years of support from the community," he
said. "Although we don't fit US Airways' or Mesa's business plan, that
doesn't mean other airlines won't look favorably at us. We just need to be
patient." 

In the meantime, the airport will not be a ghost town, Monzo said. 

The daily commuter flights made up only 2,500 of the airport's average of
43,000 flight operations a year. 

In addition to general aviation, some 7,000 passengers a year also use the
airport for public charter flights to casino destinations. Private charter
flights from Vee Neal and LJ Aviation also continue to thrive, he said. 

Officials at the airport's two car rental agencies said they are not
dismayed by what they believe will be a temporary lack of commercial air
service. 

Christine Zahornacky, station manager at Hertz Rent-a-Car, said business
"might even pick up slightly with an increase in one-way rentals, due to
people renting cars here to get to Pittsburgh. I don't expect my business to
really drop." 

"It's not going to put us under," agreed Mark Lovetro, agency manager with
Budget Rent A Car Systems. "I don't anticipate a big impact." 

Some of that business likely will come from Kennametal Inc., where employees
had found it handy to have an airport just across Route 981. 

"It was very convenient," said Barbara Henderson, who manages corporate
travel for the company. 

Henderson said "Kennametal will weather" the commuter line's absence with
what she called "Plan B" -- ground transportation to Pittsburgh
International. 

"We knew this was coming, and we have a contract with Budget for one-way
drops and with other ground transportation limousine services," Henderson
said. "But that's not to say we don't want to see another carrier here. We
do. And we have been and will continue to work with the airport authority to
try to make than happen." 

"I think there is enough of a market here, especially if they don't go to
Pittsburgh," Fitzgerald said. "If we had flights going from here to
Cleveland or Baltimore, I think it would be very busy." 

Monzo said it is "absolutely true" that airport officials are talking with
airlines about access to such hubs and beyond. 

"With a hub like Detroit, that puts you anywhere, including international
flights," he said. "To be competitive, we have to start thinking outside the
box."


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