Jumpgate

PIT was fiercely loyal to US. I lived there for a few years during the hub's heyday.

Yinzers (as we called the locals) would fly US as if there was no other airline in existence. I used to see bumper stickers around town with the US tail logo and a phrase something like "Back the Flag" IIRC.

Yes, that airport was built to US' specifications down to the last nail.

Unfortunately, post-9/11 and post-merger, having a large hub in a place with reasonably low O&D just couldn't be justified anymore.

HomeToPit

Count this burgher as one who WAS fiercely loyal to USAir. They were the airline that everybody griped about when they got screwed with really exhorbitant fares but flew them anyway.

Flying with them back in the day was like wearing an old pair of comfortable shoes or sitting in a neighborhood tavern. It was common to know a couple of people that worked for USAir and I used to enjoy having a visit from pilots that I knew stop by midflight and say hello (pre 9-11).

But when politics got involved between the county and the airline you just sensed that it wasn't going to turn out well. Roddy basically told USAir to shove it right after they turned down the leases. Was it the right thing to do? I still don't know.

PIT is a beautiful airport that is definately underutilized. Heck, with the recent snowstorms on the east coast, I understand that a fair number of flights got diverted to PIT with no problem. It would be great if there were more nonstops, but it's also nice to get to a gate with a minimum of hassle and it not be a mobscene like PHL or CLT.

It reminds me of PNC Park...the Pirates stink the place up but you can get a seat 10 rows behind home plate for 18 bucks. PNC Park is absolutely beautiful but if the Pirates ever get good, that same seat will probably cost 3 times that. The same with the PIT airport. If it ever becomes a hub again there will be more nonstops but it'll get expensive and chaotic.

I'm pretty happy with United right now. They just added nonstops to the west coast since USAir dropped them. Yeah...there's more connections in my travel day now but since USAir has very few direct flight to anywhere out of PIT, I don't have any loyalty to them at all. Oh...and as you can tell, I have moved on.

TPJ

Hmmm,

PIT - US Airways hub gone,
STL - TWA/AA hub gone,
BNA - AA hub gone,
RDU - AA hub gone (do they still have RDU-LHR flights???),
MEM - lucky you - I think the 'new DL' still has presence there - for how long?

Just my 2 cents - regards - TPJ

PS. During my last trip to LAS, I noticed some US LAS A-gates are now closed. I guess we will soon have another discussion: 'US LAS Hub now closed - why do I have to stick to WN'

buckeyefanflyer

Yes, AA still has RDU London flights. I asked about that on this site and I guess many business in the area have ties to London is the main reason why they can continue to operate this service. AA started both RDU and BNA hubs at about the same time in the late 1980's. I flew through both of them and relaly liked them, especially RDU. Traffic connecting flow was somewaht different. RDU had alot of service to Florida and evebn SJU, BNA had service to cities like MEM, BHM, and MSY but also had florida service to.
BNA had a direct flight to London too but it did not last long.
The STL deal is puzzeling. AA was a great location for a hub, a alternative to ORD.
Granted alot of the service was duplicated, other airlines such as NW not DL have similar
multiple hubs. DTW and MSP for an example. I guess this was a cost cut issue getting rid of all those employees. In CLE for example, AA pulled all mainline service about 6 years ago, by doing that it was able to get rid of more then 75 employees, some of them who worked for AA more then 40 years. They were replaced by low cost new hires. Of course then we have all those RJ's. AA ran a 767 at times CLE-ORD. In the 1970, AA
had a flight 37 a DC-10 BOS-CLE-LAX that used to run. It used to go over my house
and I used to look for it.

BoeingBoy

Unfortunately for AA and the TWA employees at STL, the purchase of what remained of TWA was not too much before 911 and all the airlines cut back service after that tragic day. Not saying that's the entire reason behind what happened to STL (WN coming in as AA pulled out didn't help) but it was a factor.

I think AA learned a lesson with the BNA/RDU mini-hub pair. Neither had the size or O&D to be really successful as full blown hubs and having the two was inefficient compared to a single hub like CLT - you end up with a flights feeding both and then two flights to somewhere in Florida instead of one.

In hindsight, I think AA would have been better off focusing on RDU. There's the 3 major universities within a 20 minute drive, Research Triangle Park, and IBM has a pretty large presence. Plus the state government.

Jim

flight62

PIT is a beautiful airport. I was based there at once as well. CLT is my base, but I also know she isn't safe either. The difference with me? I'll go where I need to go or are forced. My happiness isn't in the city I live, but the person I AM. To be honest, I can't think of a city ANY airline has where there is a base (mainline airline) that I couldn't adjust to.

cfw

Amen!

cfw

I've flown through IAD more times then I can count. Sure, I've had flights delayed and even canceled, but, I've never seen more incompetence at a hub than what exists at PHL. I don't have to fly though it anymore, and I honestly hope it has gotten better than when I dropped US a few years ago.

cfw

I ran into the hidden fares often. I was aware of people booking that YYY-PIT-XXX flight and just walking out of the airport once the PIT leg landed. When you heard names over the PA being called to the gate, you couldn't help but wonder, especially if you knew the fares that had it the worst and knew where the plane had come from.

Just another example of how they didn't respect their base. I don't believe the people of Atlanta have the same issue, but, then again, they also have AirTran keeping Delta in check.

trvlr64

Flight62 you just crack me up! Your rant on this thread just proves you just like to whine and moan like the rest of us.

US was our hometown airline as others have stated. Most of us had friends and relatives and lovers who worked for the airline in some aspect. It was part of Pittsburgh because of it's long history going back to the All American Airways beginnings. As an employee of this airline you'd think you'd know that.

I personally lived on US for 10 years, weekly. I knew as much about this airline as my partner did, who worked for the airline.

But after the failed UA merger and the eventual downhill slide of US to the eventual hands of Doug Parker, most of us PIT flyers knew it was time to move on.

Like you, my happiness isn't related to the city I'm living in, but rest assured it sometimes helps. I'm living in FLL now and flying DL. Had you asked me to fly DL during those 10 years I lived on US I would have told you to get lost. But today I live on DL even when US is significantly cheaper out of FLL. But I can't step foot on a US plane unless it's absolutely necessary to burn my remaining frequent flyer miles.

I miss the ease of PIT but ATL has grown on me, and I'll even go as far as to say I'd take ATL over CLT anyday too. I'm thoroughly enjoying flying DL. But I wish US could once again be the airline that I loved to fly. But I don't think that will ever happen.

flight62

You got me there. And I just died laughing when I read that. I mean...REALLY!! Thanks for making my night!

1flyer1

Mrs. 1flyer1 will be connecting from UAL-USair in PIT. I have never been to PIT so i am wondering if this will be an easy transition. I am particularly wondering if she has to go through security again and/or take a shuttle.
Her connection time in PIT is 1 hour and 7 minutes.

Thanks in advance for the help.
1flyer1

neotope

The PIT airport is very easy to navigate. The layout is like a big plus sign with shops and the food court in the middle. Off the plus sign they have 4 concourses - A, B, C and D. UA uses the C concourse and US uses the B concourse. All your wife needs to do is get off her UA plane and head down the concourse to the main terminal and then walk down the B terminal, all the gates use the same security so she won't have to clear security.

1 hour and 7 minutes should be plenty of time to connect. I live in PIT and most of my flights such as my flight today from CLT arrive early basic the airport does not have as much traffic as it once does. This eliminate fly bys and long taxis generally.

BoeingBoy

Did they finally move the USX flights from A to B?

Here's the terminal map for PIT. There are moving walkways in all the concourses - you can get off every few gates.

Jim

debbieb

SW is the only airline on A now, 4 gates I think. US is on B, with the end of it boarded up. It is a sad sight.