<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by HPTunco:
I don't disagree with the non-hub traffic at PIT needing only 20-30 gates. The question is what will we do with a fairly new, state of the art facility that's still probably has several hundred million $ of debt?</font>
This is why I don't live in Allegheny County
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This is something they should have thought about before building the terminal in the first place. I'm assuming the bonds are probably insured, but the county's bond/debt rating will go in the toilet (probably for a long time) if they default on them, which they probably will if US folds, as it's unlikely that another major will move a hub here. Heck, even if Southwest came in, they would only be good for 5 or 10 gates, tops.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">PIT probably has 100 gates (including "E"), that will gather moss while we fly to AA, DL, NW, etc's hubs.
And the Airmall is toast. The Hyatt will probably be in trouble as well. It pains me to say it, but this is what happen when government blows large amounts of taxpayer equity on the whim of private enterprise (which, in this case, was/is/maybe managed right out of existance).
If you had the good fortune of passing thru Nashville after AA left and Southwest expanded the last round you probably saw something similar to what PIT is going to have should US fold (entire coucourses "boarded up").
Obviously, I'm hoping none of this happens.
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Saving the world, one clue at a time.