PIT -- HUB AGAIN?

[US1YFARE]

I'll keep you posted US1......sitting here staring at my inbox just waiting....waiting....waiting....

you may be waiting until the airline dies or is bought by another carrier--maybe the next group in will care about the customers. i was no fan of ccy, but i will say this, they always responded to customer inquiries and concerns, particularly from US1's--whether you liked their response or not, you always received one. Tempe has pushed the "ignore" button when it comes to the VFF--they feel their target market of hefty bag carrying pax is much more profitable apparently.

 

[CLTBWIDAYSYR]

B) You are correct about it being cheaper then PIT.
But that's only because so many flts were pulled out of PIT. PIT had similar facilities and contracts in place also. That info. was always hidden from the public to justify their plan.
When Siegel and company were making their threat about pulling the hub down in PIT, it was based on the fact that US had to pay much of the airport debt. If you can think back to all the prpoganda that was put out by US Airways at the time, all they talked about was the airport costs. They are the ones who the airport was built for remember. That being said, every airline anlylist in the industry put out the facts, whice were
-When US had over 500+ flts a day in PIT the costs were significantly lower then the 10-12 cost per psgr. that US dwelled on. Every time US pulled flts out of PIT the cost per psgr. rose right along with it. That would happen in CLT also by the way.
-They also pointed out that US had one of the best airport contracts in the country.PIT had clauses including US sharing in the revenues from parking, among other things. Similar to what CLT has.
-With US operating a large hub operation in PIT, the costs were significantly lower then PHL also, it should be noted.
They tried to make it out that the airport would crumble under the weight of a US de-hubbing, which was all bull as we can see today.
The only thing that crumbled as a result of the de-hubbing of PIT was US Airways, from the lost customer base(and it's huge by the way) and the continual degraded service the customer gets from the PHL experience. You can only screw people so many times and they will not be back.
So if US pulled flts down in CLT as they did in PIT, it would have the same effect, less flts=less money coming in=higher airport costs passed on to the airline.

Not trying to argue, but CLT is different than PIT. First of all, the debt service on CLT is SUBSTANTIALLY lower than that of PIT. The PIT terminal is arguably far superior to CLT, but CLT didn't cost nearly a billion to build. PIT is also expensive to maintain (people movers, moving sidewalks, escalators, roadways, etc.) CLT has a fraction of that stuff, and no people mover system at all. The terminal dates to 1984, with Piedmont and Eastern paying the majority of the costs, as they were the largest operators then. The main terminal expansion in 1995 (food court) was funded by airport bonds and cost around $50 million. Love him or hate him, Jerry Orr (the airport director) is one of the most fiscally conservative managers in US aviation and keeps CLT cheap to operatate for every airline using it. When US had trouble (the first time back in the early 90s) he lowered landing fees just for "US". Even when I went to a round table meeting with Schofield in the mid 1990s, we were told PIT cost $10 more per pax than CLT. They were about the same size at that point.

 

[TheLarkAscending]

Yeah, where is the little Capitano anyway?

GO STEELERS!! GO PANTHERS!!!

It matters not.

 

[Jimmy Neutron]

Not trying to argue, but CLT is different than PIT. First of all, the debt service on CLT is SUBSTANTIALLY lower than that of PIT. The PIT terminal is arguably far superior to CLT, but CLT didn't cost nearly a billion to build. PIT is also expensive to maintain (people movers, moving sidewalks, escalators, roadways, etc.) CLT has a fraction of that stuff, and no people mover system at all. The terminal dates to 1984, with Piedmont and Eastern paying the majority of the costs, as they were the largest operators then. The main terminal expansion in 1995 (food court) was funded by airport bonds and cost around $50 million. Love him or hate him, Jerry Orr (the airport director) is one of the most fiscally conservative managers in US aviation and keeps CLT cheap to operatate for every airline using it. When US had trouble (the first time back in the early 90s) he lowered landing fees just for "US". Even when I went to a round table meeting with Schofield in the mid 1990s, we were told PIT cost $10 more per pax than CLT. They were about the same size at that point.

I understand what your saying but what does this article reveal? Note the airport costs.

http://www.wpxi.com/news/2165912/detail.html

This was after pulling down some 80 flights a day, and before all of the county and state help offered to US Airways was even put in the mix.

Again note the amount offered and Siegel never really moved off his demand of over 800 million.

http://www.wpxi.com/news/2265389/detail.html

http://www.wpxi.com/money/2423252/detail.html


So it really seemed that at the time Siegel never had any intentions of even trying to make a feasible deal to remain in PIT. Note the frustration in the comments made by state and county leaders.The end result was:

Yet another US bankruptcy and we still pay the higher month to month lease rates that were put in place under his reign of terror.

http://www.wpxi.com/money/2742211/detail.html

Doesn't sound like very good management decisions to me.
I don't think people realize just how bad Siegels reorganization plan really is, we are all still living it and not too much of it is working, is it?

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories....01862584&EDATE=

How about this blunder: FLL hub, that really worked too:
http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stor.../23/daily4.html

:blink:

 

[Solidarity]

LAS and PHX differ from PIT and PHL as LAS does most of its "hubbing" when the vampires are out. There is a very large bank for redeyes but it is very quiet during the daylight hours.

What do you call quiet...have you been to LAS in the day time?.....

 

[mrman]

Well since America West is now running US and paying its bills, maybe PHL and PIT is not the answer for profitability, but reopening the Columbus hub is? It is not a big WN market after all.

 

[trvlr64]

CMH :down: :blink: