Business

US Airways Slashes Pittsburgh Schedule

posted: 04 October 2007 01:27 pm ET

: US Airways operates Airbus A319s all over its U.S. domestic network, but its A319s won't be operating quite so many flights in the future from Pittsburgh, where US Airways is cutting its mainline schedule by nine flights a day to 22. The airline also expects its regional partners to cut their US Airways Express services from Pittsburgh by 31 flights a day, to 46. Pittsburgh was once US Airways' biggest hub and the carrier operated hundreds of flights a day from there. Credit: Airbus S.A.S. 2006

US Airways is dropping five of its markets from Pittsburgh and expects its regional-airline partners to drop service from the western Pennsylvania city to another 12 destinations.

Almost all the service terminations will come on Jan. 6, 2008, though regional partner Colgan Air is dropping service next month (on Nov 3) from Pittsburgh to Charleston, W. Va. -- a sixth confirmed market exit.

Apart from Charleston, the cities to which US Airways is dropping mainline service from Pittsburgh are Denver; Erie, Pa.; Chicago O'Hare; Norfolk, Va.; and Toronto in Canada. Washington Dulles International Airport is one of the 12 additional destinations that US Airways expects its regional partners to cut, as are Louisville, Ky. and Nashville, Tenn.

The market terminations form part of a Pittsburgh schedule adjustment that will see US Airways reduce its mainline flying there from 31 flights a day to 22. The carrier expects its regional partners to cut their US Airways Express flying at Pittsburgh from 77 daily flights to 46.

However, US Airways cautioned that because these airlines are independently owned and operated, the Pittsburgh schedules that they finalize may differ from its expectations.

US Airways' reduced Pittsburgh schedule will involve the closure of its pilot base there and the airline said some 500 pilots and flight attendants would now be based at other domiciles within its system.

Additionally, US Airways mainline airport agents and ramp employees will take over the customer-service and ground-handling duties currently performed by 350 employees of its wholly owned US Airways Express subsidiary PSA Airlines.

US Airways will offer these PSA Airlines employees jobs elsewhere in its network, or will furlough them. It also will eliminate about 100 US Airways mainline jobs based at Pittsburgh International Airport, and will offer all of these employees jobs elsewhere.

"Unfortunately our ability to operate profitably from Pittsburgh has been sharply eroded over the past few years and the hub lost $40 million over the past 12 months alone," Doug Parker, US Airways' chairman and CEO, said of the cut-back decisions. "Even after these flight reductions, US Airways will still fly to more cities from Pittsburgh than any other airline."

Added Parker: "We are offering jobs elsewhere on the US Airways system to all affected ground employees, and those who choose not to accept such a move will be offered severance pay."

US Airways will continue to employ 730 mechanics at its heavy-maintenance base at Pittsburgh International Airport, and the airline has reaffirmed its commitment to build a new, 600-employee operations control center at Pittsburgh. The airline said that it would continue to employ some 1,800 people in total in the Pittsburgh area.

From Pittsburgh, US Airways expects to continue to serve 20 mainline and US Airways Express destinations, though service to five will be reduced. The airline expects service to 12 destinations to be unaffected by the reduced Pittsburgh schedule.

Also, despite its cuts in mainline and regional-partner flying at Pittsburgh, US Airways' new Jan. 6 schedule at Pittsburgh will see increased service to three destinations. Each destination will see another two flights a day.

US Airways-network flights from Pittsburgh to Charlotte, N.C. will increase from six flights a day to eight, as will flights to New York LaGuardia. Flights to Newark, N.J. will increase from two a day to four.