US Airways' numbers fall 39 percent at Pittsburgh airport

Jul 19, 2008 (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- LCC | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Passenger traffic at Pittsburgh International Airport continued its US Airways-led decline, officials said Friday, although the combined traffic from the airport's 12 other airlines rose.

The Allegheny County Airport Authority said its May figures showed the number of passengers boarding and exiting planes in Pittsburgh declined 13 percent from the year-earlier period, to 784,927 people. US Airways -- greatly reduced from its peak but still the airport's busiest carrier -- posted a 39 percent decline to 251,450 passengers.

Combined passenger traffic for the other 12 airlines increased 8.6 percent, to 533,477 passengers. Southwest Airlines, the airport's second busiest carrier, experienced the largest numerical increase compared with the year-earlier period, with 138,182 passengers in May, a 10 percent increase.

Carriers with falling passenger traffic include American Airlines, with an 11 percent decline from the year-ago period to 38,078 passengers in May; JetBlue, which fell 26 percent to 18,794; and Midwest, which declined 13 percent to 7,712.

At the authority's monthly board of directors meeting, officials announced that Advantage Rent A Carhas begun operating at the airport. The franchise is owned by Bob Gardil, who runs the airport's valet parking service. The car rental will share a booth with the 24-hour valet service, meaning cars may be rented from Advantage at any hour.

The board also agreed to borrow $1 million from the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County for improvements on Ewing and Hookstown Grade roads in Moon related to the US Airways' flight operations control center and the authority's nearby Cherrington Commerce Park.

To see more of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/. Copyright (c) 2008, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

Morning Coffee with TradingMarkets -- Free Newsletter

More News:   Market Updates | Stock Alerts | All Trading News | Stock Index