Pittsburgh International Airport (casino, gated, to live in)

[PITairport]

Originally Posted by MrAflac9916

I'm a training commercial pilot myself, so I can kinda say I'm an expert in this industry...here's my two cents...

Pittsburgh will NEVER get a flight to Dubai it is stupid of Fitz to think its even possible.

Do I think he is just using taxpayer money to take a free trip? No, thats borderline conspiracy to come up with that.

I think he is so out of touch with the pathetic failure that PIT is that he is now in an aviation-induced coma.

Here's a better idea, Fitz:

Southwest Airlines MDW (Chicago) hub is WAY overcrowded and they barely have ANY room to put more flights, most of which are connecting.

I think I know of an airport which would be a PERFECT city for Southwest to establish a secondary hub, a smaller hub of sorts, in which they can start putting connecting flights instead of just one ways....

Hmm...

What makes you think PIT isn't pursuing more Southwest flights?

Furthermore I wouldn't use the word "never" when discussing Emirates Airline. They have most of the top markets in the US covered, many of which have more than one daily flight. Its only a matter of time before they add more secondary markets.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by gg

I was there about a month ago. It was a ghost town and looking tired. I did have to transfer threw Atlanta, and my final destination was in a super modern airport in Florida that is my favorite, but very tiny, so maybe that did help my impression of PIT this time around.

Pittsburgh Airport looks good, and has a nice setup.

The problem is that it just doesn't have many flights, not just that much business compared to other facilities, many of which are inferior.

The County Government owns PIT, and are just doing a really crappy job of presenting it to airlines.

The excuse that US Air went out of business is a short term excuse, airlines do sometimes go out of business, its part of their lifespan

[pman]

I believe it's two more years u til the airport debt is paid off after which landing fees will be more competitive. Although Charlotte od traffic is not terribly different they have much lower fees

[UKyank]

Originally Posted by pman

I believe it's two more years u til the airport debt is paid off after which landing fees will be more competitive. Although Charlotte od traffic is not terribly different they have much lower fees

I know the higher than normal landing fees mentioned are often cited as a reason for our lack of airport traffic but I don't think it really has any bearing on things. Its $6.59 per ticket more then the average that PIT charges. I just don't believe such a minuscule amount in the grand scheme of a total ticket cost has any bearing on an airline's decision.

[pman]

Originally Posted by UKyank

I know the higher than normal landing fees mentioned are often cited as a reason for our lack of airport traffic but I don't think it really has any bearing on things. Its $6.59 per ticket more then the average that PIT charges. I just don't believe such a minuscule amount in the grand scheme of a total ticket cost has any bearing on an airline's decision.

6.59 per ticket is huge compared to razor thin profit margins. That's 6.59 out of profit for zero benefit

[UKyank]

Originally Posted by pman

6.59 per ticket is huge compared to razor thin profit margins. That's 6.59 out of profit for zero benefit

But as with all fees it's tacked onto the cost of the ticket itself; no consumer I know is going to balk over an extra six bucks when booking a flight.

[PITairport]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

The County Government owns PIT, and are just doing a really crappy job of presenting it to airlines.

They added 5 airlines in the past year. Things are definitely getting better.

Originally Posted by pman

6.59 per ticket is huge compared to razor thin profit margins.

Exactly.

Originally Posted by UKyank

But as with all fees it's tacked onto the cost of the ticket itself; no consumer I know is going to balk over an extra six bucks when booking a flight.

Its not a ticket fee, or a fee you see when booking a ticket. It is a cost the airlines must pay to the airport via landing fees, gate leases, etc. So it is not something that might affect the decision of a passenger to fly, but it is one of many things an airline considers when deciding where to place their assets.

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by PITairport

They added 5 airlines in the past year. Things are definitely getting better.

Perhaps.


But I walked through there at 8 o'clock last night and there wasn't very much activity at all, particularly in comparison with the activity in Charlotte when I boarded.

They still have a long way to go to get the place fully utilized..

[PITairport]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

Perhaps.


But I walked through there at 8 o'clock last night and there wasn't very much activity at all, particularly in comparison with the activity in Charlotte when I boarded.

They still have a long way to go to get the place fully utilized..

Well, if you are using Charlotte as a barometer of course you will be disappointed. It is one of the largest hubs in the world, is a much stronger local market, and has over 5 times the amount of passengers PIT does. CVG, IND, CMH, and CLE are much better comparisons for PIT.

[UKyank]

Originally Posted by PITairport

Its not a ticket fee, or a fee you see when booking a ticket. It is a cost the airlines must pay to the airport via landing fees, gate leases, etc. So it is not something that might affect the decision of a passenger to fly, but it is one of many things an airline considers when deciding where to place their assets.

Agree it's included in the published fare, but it's still a separate fee that you can see in the ticket breakdown ....I just don't see where all these new routes would appear just because operating expenses out of PIT were reduced by $6.59 for each passenger. Fuel cost fluctuations alone are gonna be alot more than that.

Either way, hopefully I'm wrong & things open up significantly in 2 years