"Airlines to slash flights, routes at Pittsburgh International"

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Airlines to slash flights, routes at Pittsburgh International
By Jim Ritchie
THE PITTSBURGH (PA) TRIBUNE-REVIEW


Airlines plan severe cuts in flight schedules at Pittsburgh International
Airport starting in September as they struggle to counter soaring fuel
costs. 
Service to most destinations will be less frequent and all of US Airways'
direct flights to Harrisburg will be eliminated as airlines trim operating
costs. 

"It's pretty severe," said JoAnn Jenny, spokeswoman for the Allegheny County
Airport Authority, which runs Pittsburgh International in Findlay. "It's
happening across the board. It's not like Cleveland is thriving and
Pittsburgh's suffering." 

The airport authority on Tuesday would not specify the number of reductions
because it had not received official notifications from airlines. 

"What the airlines are trying to do is correct the system by cutting
capacity. They just cannot function under what they're going through right
now," Jenny said. 

What they're experiencing is record-high fuel costs. The cost per gallon of
jet fuel surpassed $3.90 in June, according to the Air Transport
Association, an industry group. The average a year ago was roughly $2.15. 

"Since 2007, when we started to see rapid increases in the price of fuel,
100 communities have either lost or will lose service by the end of the
year," said David Castelveter, the association's spokesman. "If the price of
fuel continues to climb at the pace it is, that number could more than
double." 

The cuts are good and bad for Larry Schwartz of Mt. Lebanon. 

Schwartz is finding travel to visit relatives in New Hampshire and Minnesota
more and more difficult. The September cuts will make the situation worse,
he said. 

"None of our family's in Pittsburgh," he said. "You can't get there direct
anymore, and the prices have skyrocketed. We often traveled once a month but
we've definitely changed that because we can't afford it." 

The flight cuts will help Schwartz's computer-based business, Midnight Blue
Technology Services, which provides information technology services to
smaller companies. 

Customers who used to fly more often are turning to the less costly and more
convenient alternative of using the Internet and computer technology to hold
meetings and talk with clients, Schwartz said. 

"It helps our business in a way," he said. "The smaller businesses are
opting not to travel as much because it's a bigger impact on them
financially when they do. They're finding ways to do business without
traveling as much." 

Air travel at the airport this year was down 10.3 percent through April, the
latest passenger data available. About 3.1 million passengers flew through
April 2007, compared to nearly 2.8 million in the same period this year. 

Southwest Airlines might be among the few airlines that will not drastically
cut flights, said Whitney Eichinger, an airline spokeswoman. 

Southwest has avoided paying high fuel costs in recent years through a
fuel-hedging program, which allowed it to lock in lower rates before fuel
prices spiked. In 2007, the airline saved an estimated $727 million by
locking in rates for about 90 percent of its fuel purchases, according to
the airline. 

US Airways representatives did not return calls seeking comment.

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