"Southwest Airlines offers no commitment on Pittsburgh expansion"

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Onorato tells Southwest airport wants its business
The Pittsburgh (PA) Post-Gazette


Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato said yesterday that his Monday
talks with Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly yielded no
commitments, but the airline officials seemed interested in service
expansion down the road.

"I wanted to let them know that we want their business and we want their
business to expand here," he said, noting the discussion focused on "what
they need to expand when the airline industry finally settles down."

Mr. Onorato, who was accompanied by Allegheny County Airport Authority
Executive Director Bradley D. Penrod, said the meeting was a "courtesy call"
to follow up on a meeting in 2006. The county and airport authority want to
know whether Southwest could take on a bigger role if US Airways ever fully
pulls out of Pittsburgh International Airport.

Southwest officials, Mr. Onorato said, were particularly impressed that
low-cost carriers have maintained or increased the origin and destination
traffic out of Pittsburgh.

Noting that Southwest grew relatively fast in Pittsburgh when it went from
10 flights a day to 22 in the first two years after starting service in May
2005, Mr. Onorato said "the Southwest model is what we need here."

Airline officials, however, were very cautious about future expansion, he
added.

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