Pittsburgh Airport.....Wow!
Oct 22, 2007, 5:24 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Arlington, VA
Programs: US Chairman
Posts: 289
Pittsburgh Airport.....Wow!
On my travels today, I was lucky enough to have an extra 4 hours at PIT (my flight was late, missing my connection). I have been through PIT many times, always remarking how nice of an airport it is. Lately, there have been a lot of rumblings on this board with the reduction in flights. Since I had the extra time, I walked around the airport a bit. I was suprised at how big the A and B concourses are. The airport is a lot bigger than I thought it was, I can see why everyone is so upset. What really amazed me was how dead the airport is. There was literally no one in the airport, which was very eerie for 5:30 in the evening. I wonder how long the stores will stay open. It really is quite a shame.
Oct 22, 2007, 6:27 pm
#2
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Philadelphia, PA, USA
Programs: UA 2P, AA LT Gold, Marriott LT Titanium
Posts: 3,159
It's a ghost town. Does anybody remember when they used to operate Landside as well as Airside?
Oct 22, 2007, 6:51 pm
#3
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
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Posts: 5,695
Oct 22, 2007, 7:03 pm
#4
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: MKE
Programs: AA Exec Platinum, SPG Platinum / Ambassador / Lifetime Gold, Avis FIRST
Posts: 3,293
<<insert standard "loss of PIT" lament here>>
Oct 22, 2007, 7:44 pm
#6
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 782
Sad, sad, sad. I don't want to even look at the salespersons as I walk by the stores. They stand in front of their perfectly arranged but empty boutiques with such blank, lonely looks on their faces. Some of the finest shopping in Pittsburgh is at the airport but I can't imagine they will be there much longer. Nor will I.
Oct 22, 2007, 7:48 pm
#7
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: SFO
Programs: UA MileagePlus, AA AAdvantage
Posts: 244
But August 2007 traffic at PIT was only down 1.9% from August 2006. Or did the decline start before that?
http://www.flypittsburgh.com/NewsEve...s&shortdescp=6
http://www.flypittsburgh.com/NewsEve...s&shortdescp=6
Oct 22, 2007, 8:02 pm
#8
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: PIT
Programs: DL (Medallion), AA, WN, Scareways, HH, MR, SPG
Posts: 522
Did you notice the gate remodeling going on today on the A Concourse? A7, A9, A2 & A4 have been stripped of US signage and are being repainted. Since these are all adjacent to WN's A1, A3 & A5, I'm thinking they are planning more than 2 flights. Unless these are for someone else.
Oct 22, 2007, 8:10 pm
#9
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Pittsburgh
Posts: 965
I think the stores close between 8:00 and 9:00. It is sad to come off a flight at 10:00 and everything is closed.
Oct 22, 2007, 8:19 pm
#10
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: High Point, NC
Programs: None
Posts: 9,171
[QUOTE=im_blue;8605144]But August 2007 traffic at PIT was only down 1.9% from August 2006. Or did the decline start before that?
Well before that.....comparing same months:
2006 was 3.9% below 2005
2005 was 24.9% below 2004
2004 was 0.2% below 2003
2003 was 22.3% below 2002
2002 was 15.8% below 2001 (this period includes 911 when traffic dropped everywhere).
You can tell when the cuts occured during the two BKs.
Jim
Well before that.....comparing same months:
2006 was 3.9% below 2005
2005 was 24.9% below 2004
2004 was 0.2% below 2003
2003 was 22.3% below 2002
2002 was 15.8% below 2001 (this period includes 911 when traffic dropped everywhere).
You can tell when the cuts occured during the two BKs.
Jim
Oct 22, 2007, 8:28 pm
#11
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Suburban Philadelphia
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Plat, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,392
I could go on for hours about this....I was just there last month, for the first time in a few years, and was absolutely floored by the difference.
There used to literally be planes and people everywhere. It's a ghost town now.
ETA: we are down from 6+ flights to/from MDT to 2 daily. Used to be mainline jet service, now it's Dash-8's........
There used to literally be planes and people everywhere. It's a ghost town now.
ETA: we are down from 6+ flights to/from MDT to 2 daily. Used to be mainline jet service, now it's Dash-8's........
Oct 22, 2007, 8:29 pm
#12
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Programs: Air Canada Elite 35; United Gold (maybe Platinum?)
Posts: 1,073
PIT is a great airport and I try to fly through there when I can, avoiding PHL if possible. Fortunately, there are still flights from BOS to PIT.
However, I can't help but think that if there was such a great opportunity at PIT someone would have taken it by now.
WN made BWI a major airport even while US had a major presence there, but aren't doing that at PIT - 2 flights increase next year? Maybe they change their mind and add 4 or 5, it doesn't seem like they're rushing in like they did at BWI.
FL has never shied away from competition - they go head to heat with Delta in Atlanta. They're not making PIT a major hub and they've wanted something in the in the midwest (though I guess PIT is not really midwest.)
B6 seems to be disappointed with PIT and isn't rushing in with more service.
None of the legacies are rushing in with service.
It seems to me that, if there really were a great untapped opportunity at PIT, someone would have taken advantage of it by now or at least put themselves in a position to make a major push when the time is right. I just don't see any signs of that from anyone.
It's ashame - PIT has everything - except the flying public or the support of the carriers to make it a major hub. It reminds me of a city that builds a stadium for a sports franchise that later relocates and, despite having a great facility, the city never again gets a sports franchise because the fan base just isn't there.
However, I can't help but think that if there was such a great opportunity at PIT someone would have taken it by now.
WN made BWI a major airport even while US had a major presence there, but aren't doing that at PIT - 2 flights increase next year? Maybe they change their mind and add 4 or 5, it doesn't seem like they're rushing in like they did at BWI.
FL has never shied away from competition - they go head to heat with Delta in Atlanta. They're not making PIT a major hub and they've wanted something in the in the midwest (though I guess PIT is not really midwest.)
B6 seems to be disappointed with PIT and isn't rushing in with more service.
None of the legacies are rushing in with service.
It seems to me that, if there really were a great untapped opportunity at PIT, someone would have taken advantage of it by now or at least put themselves in a position to make a major push when the time is right. I just don't see any signs of that from anyone.
It's ashame - PIT has everything - except the flying public or the support of the carriers to make it a major hub. It reminds me of a city that builds a stadium for a sports franchise that later relocates and, despite having a great facility, the city never again gets a sports franchise because the fan base just isn't there.
Oct 22, 2007, 8:35 pm
#13
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: SFO
Programs: UA MileagePlus, AA AAdvantage
Posts: 244
Well before that.....comparing same months:
2006 was 3.9% below 2005
2005 was 24.9% below 2004
2004 was 0.2% below 2003
2003 was 22.3% below 2002
2002 was 15.8% below 2001 (this period includes 911 when traffic dropped everywhere).
2006 was 3.9% below 2005
2005 was 24.9% below 2004
2004 was 0.2% below 2003
2003 was 22.3% below 2002
2002 was 15.8% below 2001 (this period includes 911 when traffic dropped everywhere).
Oct 22, 2007, 9:53 pm
#14
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Commuting around the mid-atlantic and rust-belt on any number of RJs
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Posts: 9,255
Oct 22, 2007, 10:03 pm
#15
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Commuting around the mid-atlantic and rust-belt on any number of RJs
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Posts: 9,255
FL came into PIT and ran PIT-ATL, PIT-TPA, PIT-FLL (I think), PIT-MDW, PIT-LGA. They eventually dropped LGA and MDW due to price matching from US.
They moved up the street to CAK and could pick from both CLE and PIT. It's worked well. At the end of the day, they were the last incursion US was able to hold off.
B6 seems to be disappointed with PIT and isn't rushing in with more service.
B6 also has CO and AA and DL flying PIT-NYC. It's not like US was the only other game in town.
None of the legacies are rushing in with service.
BOS is a without a hub carrier. I'm going to assume that has nothing at all to do with lack of demand. I'm wondering why, in that light, there is no hub carrier?
It seems to me that, if there really were a great untapped opportunity at PIT, someone would have taken advantage of it by now or at least put themselves in a position to make a major push when the time is right. I just don't see any signs of that from anyone.
It reminds me of a city that builds a stadium for a sports franchise that later relocates and, despite having a great facility, the city never again gets a sports franchise because the fan base just isn't there.
It's also a poor analogy since sports teams generally can't (or have not) abused bankruptcy in the same way that US did. The more apt analogy is that the city builds a stadium and gives it to the team owner, who then complains that no seats are being sold after he breaks the lease and moves the team. Tough to draw fans without a team, eh?