I'm watching a news conference on PCNC It's being done locally in Pittsburgh. Michelle Bryan (USAirways Sr. Vice President) was Chris Bowers (United Sr. Vice President). They confirmed (most we already know):

1.One Mileage Plus Program
2.One United Club (Royal Crown Club)
3.Deal intended to complete by 1Q 2001
4.No decreases in service in Pittsburgh
5.Only USAirways shareholders have to approve transaction, NOT United shareholders. Shareholders meeting anticipated late summer/early fall.
6.Significant 'growth opportunity'
7.USAirways employee except officers guaranteed work for two years
8.From Pittsburgh non-stop or one-stop service 'to the world'
9.Airbus Maintenance facility in PIT 'needed' by United but not decided on yet
10.United board has approved
11.PIT will be a 'larger' hub as is now according to United rep

I'm skeptical but just wanted to report what I heard from the mouth of the beast, err United <grin>

4. I'm very skeptical--IMHO, PIT will become an overflow for traffic crowded out of IAD.

8. Doesn't PIT already offer this? Sure, not always the same airline, but doesn't PIT-JFK/EWR-??? cover most of the world? And doesn't PIT-SFO/ORD/DTW- cover most of the rest? Sure, more non-stops would be nice, but US has been working on that--approval for the PIT-LGW was a big sticking point. And if US--with a major hub in PIT--has found it to be preferable to use PHL and CLT as international gateways, why would UA not do the same? PIT would be lost between ORD and IAD.

9. 'Needed' depending on how much UA can soak the local taxpayers for in deal sweeteners....

11. Larger? Only once someone else (AA? Vanguard? Midwest Express?) moves in to take over all the routes abandoned by UA.

Another skeptic up here in BOS.

4. & 11. They'll start to move traffic out of PIT once they fulfill whatever promise they make for 2 years or whatever. It will take quite a while for UA to move traffic out and someone else to come in. I think it will be a net loss of traffic for PIT because a lot of the passengers were just connecting through based on the US hub. There's won't be a UA hub there long-term.

8. They mean on the same airline.

Royal Crown Club??? SOunds like a COLA?

And will they offer liftime memberships at a discount for those who've been in the program for awhile?>

Also sceptical on the expanded routes and the role Pittsburgh will play with IAD already the United hub.

CLT and PIT will have to remain a hubs despite the proximity to the huge hubs at ORD, PHL, and IAD. Why? I think we will see CLT and PIT become the east coast hubs for north-south traffic and IAD, PHL, and ORD become the hubs for east-west traffic as well as international. ORD, IAD, and PHL all have huge numbers of O&D passengers as well as hub status so I think we'll see the largest planes in the fleet in and out of these hubs. CLT and PIT will retain some of the popular international routes (LON, CDG, FRA) but will be served with smaller widebodies (767?). My $.02. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Sorry Catman, I meant Red Carpet Club. heh. Royal Crown Club, yeah, like the soda. <Grin>

As per PIT, I've lived here for six years and the airport has always been in limbo for some reason or the other. It all depends on who you talk to. I've seen a lot of new companies and chains move into the area near the airport (where I live), which has just simply exploded with people and business in the last couple of years and shows no signs of slowing down.

Included in this is many companies not based here but people who live here and 'fly' to work and companies based internationally. We'll see if it's enough to support the flights at the airport. I have witnessed and will bet there will continue to be trimming of flights to certain destinations, but I doubt many destinations will be dropped altogether.



[This message has been edited by dg1 (edited 05-25-2000).]

This whole thing is a bunch of crap. Once again, management cashes out on the backs of the employees, who provided the concessions, thinking they were helping build the brand. When the dust settles, its bye bye for PIT and PHL (too close to ORD and IAD). What UAL wants is the planes, slots, Shuttle, and some of the north south routings, as well as to continue to marginalize AA (after first spiking their Canadian strategy). And, where they can, they will move those overseas gateways out of PHL. To bullet proof the deal, they propose creating a minority owned carrier at DCA. Not only does that make it tough to oppose politically, but it also puts all those neat slots in the hands of an ineperienced operator. A lot better than having a major carrier fill those shoes. Long term, the frequent flyers will be shafted. No way UA will ever be as good to us as US has been. What a country.

actually PIT and CLT will most probably remain as large hubs for UA. Both have a high % of business travelers and US is currently VERY dominant at both airports. And if you research it a bit you will also find that PIT and CLT are 1 and 2 in terms of profitability for US. Finally, and moat importantly, neither encroaches into an population base served currently by UA. PIT serves western PA, E Ohio, and NW MD.

PHL on the other had is in a very competitive area with low cost airlines around and it is pretty close to BWI and IAD in terms of sharing the same customer base.

SO i see PIT and CLT remaining and maybe even increasing in size. sure they will both probably lose some service and def wont expand into too many new intl destinations as non stops.