Pittsburgh Int'l Airport slipping slipping slipping.. (Oakland, Portland: school, cost, buses)

[grimacista]

No doubt that they could afford a coat of paint on everything, especially the overhead signage where old airline names are taped over. And, the carpet could definitely be replaced. However, I think that O&D traffic at the airport is higher than ever before, so although it may not seem so, arrivals & departures are probably busier than ever.

[mtw62]

Bottom line is that as a frequent traveler in Central PA, the loss of the hub in Pittsburgh has not only affected Pittsburgh, but also Central and Northwest PA. As a frequest business traveler I can say flying through Philly is painful, and that just wasn't the case at PIT. Whatever the reason, or combiantion of County and US Airways it has really impacted business travelers in the reason.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by South Range Family

That brings me to this. Flights don't bring jobs. Maintenance, and ground operations do. Besides the 400 mechanics that are still here, we also have the nerve center of the entire airline.

Tell me again how many employees Southwest has here, and how much money they make.

Actually flights do bring jobs. There are companies that among other things take into consideration the airport and its direct flight locations.

I live in Atlanta and it seems crazy just how busy Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson is. Serving 88 million passengers (Pittsburgh at its height was around 20 million) and almost 1 million flights a year, Atlanta has 171 domestic and 28 international gates. Atlanta began a 5th runway in 2001 and finished it in 2006 (no idea why it takes that long) and expects passenger traffic to exceed 100 million in a few years.

Why such a disparity between the two airports? By about the mid-1970s, Atlanta and Pittsburgh metros were about the same size yet even then Atlanta was slammed with air traffic. Pittsburgh built a new terminal but didn't reach full capacity (I think capacity was around 30 million) and now has a lot of unused space. I guess the adage "Build it and they will come" doesn't always work.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

I guess the adage "Build it and they will come" doesn't always work.

Especially when you build it to USAir's specs and then they pull out.

[RockLobster]

Hartsfield is insane. Check out the highway of incoming flights at night on approach, many times lined up 80 miles in approach outside Atlanta !

[MathmanMathman]

I don't know if it would help, but like Atlanta, Pittsburgh should have made it an early priority to run The T from the airport to downtown with a stop at the Convention Center and the hotels that service it. Maybe now, such a route could also pass the stadiums. From there, build light rail routes out to the burbs so people can just take the train to the airport (or downtown for games, etc.) I'm talking like, Monroeville to the airport. Pittsburgh is lagging other cities in terms of light rail.

In Atlanta, we have had a heavy rail route to the airport for a long time and it is a popular alternative to driving. And it also goes to our hotels, convention center, and even the Georgia Dome while also extending out, somewhat, to Atlanta's burbs. We skrewed up by not having it go to Turner Stadium or out to other high density burbs. The former was an effort by the city to protect their parking business and the latter was because of fear by some "white flight" burbs. Crossing county boundaries with our rail system is a political problem. Luckily for Pittsburgh, almost all of the areas that could use light rail to connect to the airport are all in Allegheny County.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by RockLobster

Hartsfield is insane. Check out the highway of incoming flights at night on approach, many times lined up 80 miles in approach outside Atlanta !

One of the reasons is that we only have one airport. New York has 3 major airports and I think Chicago has 2? There's been talk of building a second airport for Atlanta but not lately.

[MathmanMathman]

Oh, and seeing how traffic at the airport has dropped so much, does the Air Mall still adhere to the policy of "street prices"? It was one of the airport's biggest selling points. I'd think a lot of shops have left because there is so much less foot traffic in the terminal.

[BrianTH]

Atlanta is the biggest city in and the hub for the South. Pittsburgh was never going to have that kind of status in its region.

The problem with light rail everywhere is that it would be incredibly expensive, and there won't be money for that in the near future (particularly not after last night's electoral results). Fortunately, the bus service from the airport, which uses the West Busway, is already quite good.

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Atlanta is the biggest city in and the hub for the South. Pittsburgh was never going to have that kind of status in its region.

The problem with light rail everywhere is that it would be incredibly expensive, and there won't be money for that in the near future (particularly not after last night's electoral results). Fortunately, the bus service from the airport, which uses the West Busway, is already quite good.

It doesn't have to be everywhere. Just important corridors. Atlanta and Pittsburgh were about the same size back in the 1970s and even then Atlanta had a rail line to the airport with lines extending north-south and east-west. Buses are cost effective and flexible but people don't like them. I much prefer riding the train over a bus. And light rail is the cheapest among rail transport. Atlanta has heavy rail which is very expensive. I see light rail as a compromise between buses and heavy rail. Besides, as you know Pittsburgh already has The T. It just needs to go to the right places...one of which is the airport.