Cush wrote:

Runway28L wrote:

”Bayer Shutting Down All Pittsburgh Operations, Nearly 600 Employees Affected”

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2019/01 ... ting-down/

You beat me to it! So, what do you all think this will do to the FRA flight?

Pittsburgh has really taken a beating lately with losing many large companies. First Heinz, now Bayer...

Disappointing news to say the least. But for some perspective, the article headline has been corrected to "Some Pittsburgh Operations" (instead of "All"). At the end of the article it states they will maintain 3 other local sites. Unfortunately these 600 jobs are of the corporate type who travel. Of significance, this does not appear to affect Covestro (spun off from Bayer a few years ago) who with their N. America HQ here has a larger corporate presence than Bayer and who I believe has a higher demand to FRA (CGN area to be precise). Also spun off from Bayer is Lanxess, who also maintains their N.A. HQ in Pittsburgh and their global HQ in CGN. Finally, Mylan - one of the earlier spinoffs from Bayer - has grown into a Fortune 500 company with its global operations centered in Pittsburgh (although they did an inversion for tax reasons and is now registered in the Netherlands). They are planning a 200,000 sq. ft. expansion of their Pgh headquarters. So all in all I don't think today's news will affect the Condor flight all too much.

As for Heinz, technically Kraft-Heinz is co-headquartered in Pittsburgh and Chicago. But you are right about Pittsburgh losing headquarters... but that is a decades long thing considering Pittsburgh was at one point the nation's third largest F500 headquarters city. The original Westinghouse, Rockwell International, Mellon Bank, Gulf Oil, etc all gone. On the plus side, in recent years Pittsburgh added Dicks Sporting Goods, Mylan Labs, and Alcoa to the F500 list and this year we will be up to 9, the highest in many years. BNY Mellon maintains more employees here now then they did before the merger.

So while today's news is a huge disappointment it is not all doom and gloom. A nice article from yesterday: https://www.fastcompany.com/90285175/ho ... the-future

Agree with flyPIT on the HQ jobs. The Bayer spinoffs are doing well, larger than the current Bayer. The new Bayer CEO wanted Monsanto, which many industry types question. Bayer sold off businesses to focus primarily on healthcare. They decided to move people to expensive, contested New Jersey because they had healthcare businesses there already and so many drug companies are based there. The drug companies also keep consolidating into fewer entities there.

Nice fast company article. The one point in the piece is with regard to small areas where they were a one-company town. Those businesses are gone and the towns never recovered. There is no reason for a new company to go there. The skills needed aren't there. These areas ned to realize that they have to obtain new skills and move away. Unless they have a great idea for a new business with new skills, staying is a dead end. Many of these small areas need an orderly shutdown and abandonment.

The new Pittsburgh economy will continue to develop new companies. As that happens, new air service will follow. Pittsburgh is not alone in seeing a fluid HQ environment.

I've pondered what impact this news would have regarding demand for the FRA flight, but flyPIT and ConcourseZ make good points. I'm not all too concerned about the future health of demand for FRA, LHR, or anywhere for that matter regarding PIT travelers. Companies evolve. Some move on, and some move in and flourish and help drive the new economy.

Not to mention that the tech industry here has more than replaced those 600 jobs already and will continue to grow.

More indication that the China charters will return:
"Check back soon for 2019 flight dates"
http://www.flypittsburgh.com/flights/china-charters

flyPIT wrote:

More indication that the China charters will return:
"Check back soon for 2019 flight dates"
http://www.flypittsburgh.com/flights/china-charters

I last heard that if the charters returned, they would be upped to seven flights for they year. Although the ACAA is quoted here as wanting ten flights to be their goal for 2019.

“We’d love to see 10 flights next year,” she says of the charter program that she hopes will continue to expand in scope.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/f ... 837732002/

flyPIT wrote:

More indication that the China charters will return:
"Check back soon for 2019 flight dates"
http://www.flypittsburgh.com/flights/china-charters

This makes me so happy to see the charter flight come back. I think it's something super cool to have.

It’s official: no more WW at PIT
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/f ... 573229002/

ConcourseZ wrote:

It’s official: no more WW at PIT
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/f ... 573229002/

Personally, I very much doubt that WOW will be serving any cities come summer.

Gsasala wrote:

Runway28L wrote:

Sept 2018 Domestic LF (West Coast)

PIT-LAX WN 80% NK 67%
LAX-PIT WN 76% NK 70%

PIT-SLC DL 87%
SLC-PIT DL 88%

PIT-SAN F9 54%
SAN-PIT F9 58%

PIT-SFO UA 77%
SFO-PIT UA 80%

PIT-SEA AS 76%
SEA-PIT AS 85%


Jun 2018 Intl LF

PIT-FRA DE 92% (299 lbs freight)
FRA-PIT DE 65% (66,152 lbs freight)

PIT-CDG DL 92% (8,592 lbs freight)
CDG-PIT DL 68% (60,897 lbs freight)

PIT-KEF WW 86%
KEF-PIT WW 79%

PIT-CUN DL 92% WN 86% VB 78% AA 72% G4 72%
CUN-PIT DL 92% VB 76% AA 72% G4 72% WN 63%

PIT-PUJ G4 89% WQ 80%
PUJ-PIT G4 91% WQ 51%

PIT-POP G4 52%
POP-PIT G4 49%

PIT-YUL QK 79%
YUL-PIT QK 57%

PIT-YYZ ZX 87%
YYZ-PIT ZX 76%

A couple of observations on the domestic side:

1. Awesome to see DL continues to do very well to/from SLC. IMO an upgrade to an A320 or B738 for the summer could be very possible.
2. SAN appears to be a total dud. Not pretty numbers there.
3. I expected SEA to be a bit higher, but those numbers still aren't bad at all, especially for it's first month.

And for the international side:
1. Outbounds to both CDG and FRA were very strong, but what's up with the inbounds being low? Same scenario like in May perhaps? But this was for an entire month. Huge discrepancy with cargo too. The low amount of cargo to FRA is troubling.
2. Another month of good numbers to and from KEF.
3. I never would've expected DL to be far and away the dominant carrier on CUN. Perhaps that explains the upgrade to a B739.
4. Outbound to YUL improved but inbounds still low, similar to FRA and CDG. Not sure what's up with that.

Will go through the rest of the domestic network soon.

I think the reason why the outbound cargo is low is because of the Qatar cargo service, it's probably easier to send cargo to Luxembourg then ship out to the rest of Europe

LUX is QR’s is one of their many EU hubs and moving freight beyond LUX or DOH is not an issue. All freight from LUX is usually trucked onwards into their final destination which is common for USA-EU freight regardless of carrier.

Right now all airlines are facing a minor drought before the Chinese New Year rush. Look at the PIT-CDG numbers for DL, thats pathetic due to the low demand and low yields.

So I see Delta is finally sending the A220 to Pittsburgh
DL9968 from Atlanta to Pittsburgh https://fr24.com/DAL9968/1f3527f7

Flaps wrote:

ConcourseZ wrote:

It’s official: no more WW at PIT
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/f ... 573229002/

Personally, I very much doubt that WOW will be serving any cities come summer.

I do get why you feel that way. Their rapid growth approach reminded me of OneJet before they ended up going bust. (There were other factors at play with 1J, but I won't go there.) That said, I think it's a little premature to assume this airline will be belly up. They're realizing that their recent growth model was not sustainable; they took on too much risk/debt and are reverting back to the model that actually did work for them. I guess they figured that EWR, DTW, BOS, and BWI were the US/NA cities that worked best for them so they're sticking with those. Hopefully they can figure out a longer term, more fruitful growth model. Of course, going up against Icelandic is not an easy task. Still, I wish WW the best of luck.

Indigo Partners did not invest in Wow Air just to watch them close down operations.

Saw Hamilton ant the Benedum last night. Near the front of the program is a two page ad for the PIT-LHR flight, co-branded with BA and PIT. A few pages later is a DE ad, also co-branded by DE and PIT. The BA ad highlighted the way to London's West End (their theater district). Would be a good place for F9 to advertise.....if they care.

Lol If Frontier ever does decide to advertise I doubt it would be in theater publications. The Pennysaver, perhaps.

flyPIT wrote:

Lol If Frontier ever does decide to advertise I doubt it would be in theater publications. The Pennysaver, perhaps.

Lol yep I would say F9 is chasing a slightly different demographic.

I do wonder what the loads are looking like for the BA flights.

ConcourseZ wrote:

Saw Hamilton ant the Benedum last night. Near the front of the program is a two page ad for the PIT-LHR flight, co-branded with BA and PIT. A few pages later is a DE ad, also co-branded by DE and PIT. The BA ad highlighted the way to London's West End (their theater district). Would be a good place for F9 to advertise.....if they care.

I agree that F9 wouldn't be advertising in the programs from the Benedum. The clientele is more/less the opposite of who F9 is trying to attract. Someone willing to spend $200-500 per ticket to the Benedum is likely not flying F9/NK/G4 when they travel. Chances are they fly a legacy carrier and hold some form of allegiance to AA/DL/UA.

F9 should be advertising on billboards, buses, etc. I know it's old school, but the simple fact is that NO ONE knows that F9 exists here...

ConcourseZ wrote:

Saw Hamilton ant the Benedum last night. Near the front of the program is a two page ad for the PIT-LHR flight, co-branded with BA and PIT. A few pages later is a DE ad, also co-branded by DE and PIT. The BA ad highlighted the way to London's West End (their theater district). Would be a good place for F9 to advertise.....if they care.

There is a billboard off I-79 near Bridgeville that has been advertising the LHR flight for the past few days.

I mentioned how this would be a good idea when Via was first rumored to open PIT. Same plane "direct" service to Mobile via BHM and looks like that may be the case although the article isn't 100% clear:
https://www.al.com/news/mobile/2019/01/vias-birmingham-expansion-means-new-air-connections-for-mobile.html

I find Mobile to be a neat little underrated city with beautiful beaches nearby. With Airbus having set up shop there are a few business ties such as PPG and Alcoa/Arconic.

Cush wrote:

I agree that F9 wouldn't be advertising in the programs from the Benedum. The clientele is more/less the opposite of who F9 is trying to attract. Someone willing to spend $200-500 per ticket to the Benedum is likely not flying F9/NK/G4 when they travel. Chances are they fly a legacy carrier and hold some form of allegiance to AA/DL/UA.

I dunno, I go to the Benedum and I fly Frontier (when I actually can before they cancel that particular route...) But I think the issue is less about where they should advertise (answer: anywhere and everywhere) and more about the fact that they don't.

Curious, are advertisements for flights all paid for by the respective companies (BA, AS, DE) or does the ACAA or other agency have some say in the matter?

flyPIT wrote:

I mentioned how this would be a good idea when Via was first rumored to open PIT. Same plane "direct" service to Mobile via BHM and looks like that may be the case although the article isn't 100% clear

No such luck. MOB-BHM runs thru to/from RDU, PIT-BHM runs thru to/from AUS. No PIT-MOB thru or connections available.

flyPIT wrote:

Indigo Partners did not invest in Wow Air just to watch them close down operations.

That is not yet a done deal. The agreement is subject to the cancellation of all warrants which has not happened as of yet (at least as of January 9) per WOW's own disclosure. Meanwhile the bleeding continues.
https://wowair.is/investors/media/

Regarding Via's selection of cities from PIT.... MEM and BDL make sense but BHM seemed out of left field. What is the connection between the two other than USS which is a shell of its former self?

However this article puts a different slant on it. It's not the similarities between BHM and PIT, it is the similarities between the new spokes radiating from BHM. AUS, RDU, MOB, and PIT.

"Tech community bullish on BHM's new flight options

The news that Via Airlines will offer services to Raleigh, Pittsburgh, Mobile and Austin from Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport is being cheered by the Magic City's tech community, which has been lobbying for more flights and destinations for several years.

Raleigh, Pittsburgh and Austin have seen immense growth in their tech sectors over the past couple of years, with startups and large tech giants alike building offices and establishing a presence in those markets.

Given those trends, Birmingham tech and entrepreneurial leaders are excited about the possibility the new nonstop connections will create. "
https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/news/2019/01/17/tech-community-bullish-on-bhms-new-flight-options.html

So its nice to see another airline and community (even if its only Via Air and Birmingham) recognize Pittsburgh's rising tech scene and using it as a reason to solicit new air service.

RichardWelling wrote:

Gsasala wrote:

Runway28L wrote:

Sept 2018 Domestic LF (West Coast)

PIT-LAX WN 80% NK 67%
LAX-PIT WN 76% NK 70%

PIT-SLC DL 87%
SLC-PIT DL 88%

PIT-SAN F9 54%
SAN-PIT F9 58%

PIT-SFO UA 77%
SFO-PIT UA 80%

PIT-SEA AS 76%
SEA-PIT AS 85%


Jun 2018 Intl LF

PIT-FRA DE 92% (299 lbs freight)
FRA-PIT DE 65% (66,152 lbs freight)

PIT-CDG DL 92% (8,592 lbs freight)
CDG-PIT DL 68% (60,897 lbs freight)

PIT-KEF WW 86%
KEF-PIT WW 79%

PIT-CUN DL 92% WN 86% VB 78% AA 72% G4 72%
CUN-PIT DL 92% VB 76% AA 72% G4 72% WN 63%

PIT-PUJ G4 89% WQ 80%
PUJ-PIT G4 91% WQ 51%

PIT-POP G4 52%
POP-PIT G4 49%

PIT-YUL QK 79%
YUL-PIT QK 57%

PIT-YYZ ZX 87%
YYZ-PIT ZX 76%

A couple of observations on the domestic side:

1. Awesome to see DL continues to do very well to/from SLC. IMO an upgrade to an A320 or B738 for the summer could be very possible.
2. SAN appears to be a total dud. Not pretty numbers there.
3. I expected SEA to be a bit higher, but those numbers still aren't bad at all, especially for it's first month.

And for the international side:
1. Outbounds to both CDG and FRA were very strong, but what's up with the inbounds being low? Same scenario like in May perhaps? But this was for an entire month. Huge discrepancy with cargo too. The low amount of cargo to FRA is troubling.
2. Another month of good numbers to and from KEF.
3. I never would've expected DL to be far and away the dominant carrier on CUN. Perhaps that explains the upgrade to a B739.
4. Outbound to YUL improved but inbounds still low, similar to FRA and CDG. Not sure what's up with that.

Will go through the rest of the domestic network soon.

I think the reason why the outbound cargo is low is because of the Qatar cargo service, it's probably easier to send cargo to Luxembourg then ship out to the rest of Europe

LUX is QR’s is one of their many EU hubs and moving freight beyond LUX or DOH is not an issue. All freight from LUX is usually trucked onwards into their final destination which is common for USA-EU freight regardless of carrier.

Right now all airlines are facing a minor drought before the Chinese New Year rush. Look at the PIT-CDG numbers for DL, thats pathetic due to the low demand and low yields.

That would make sense for why the cargo out of PIT is so low on DE and DL flying out because QR is flying out a pure cargo flight to the best place in Europe for cargo

a quote from Aviation Pros article by Randy Griffith re: JST air service to PIT and BWI

""We are not achieving the reliability nor the on-time performance that are ideal, or our targets," Frampton said. "We are aggressively making a lot of moves and putting a lot of energy into what we need to do."
Because issues with deicing systems have been a problem on Boutique's Pilatus PC-12 single-engine turboprop aircraft, the company is looking into using twin-engine Piaggio Avanti aircraft for the Johnstown service -- at least in the winter, Simpson said.
In the meantime, Boutique has added two more Pilatus planes to the fleet for more reliability and to help train new pilots, he said."

If they fly the Piaggio Avanti, I will book myself on the very 1st flight!(and do a trip report)!!

Gsasala wrote:

RichardWelling wrote:

Gsasala wrote:

I think the reason why the outbound cargo is low is because of the Qatar cargo service, it's probably easier to send cargo to Luxembourg then ship out to the rest of Europe

LUX is QR’s is one of their many EU hubs and moving freight beyond LUX or DOH is not an issue. All freight from LUX is usually trucked onwards into their final destination which is common for USA-EU freight regardless of carrier.

Right now all airlines are facing a minor drought before the Chinese New Year rush. Look at the PIT-CDG numbers for DL, thats pathetic due to the low demand and low yields.

That would make sense for why the cargo out of PIT is so low on DE and DL flying out because QR is flying out a pure cargo flight to the best place in Europe for cargo

Its not because of QR’s presence why the local PIT market is so low. Its because of the market itself, there isnt much demand at the moment. Once Chinese New Year kicks in, there will be a surge of demand towards Asia.

Besides PIT based freight forwarders do have options other than the carriers at PIT. They can either move it to a main gateway such as JFK or ORD and gain more access to capacity.

RichardWelling wrote:

Gsasala wrote:

RichardWelling wrote:

LUX is QR’s is one of their many EU hubs and moving freight beyond LUX or DOH is not an issue. All freight from LUX is usually trucked onwards into their final destination which is common for USA-EU freight regardless of carrier.

Right now all airlines are facing a minor drought before the Chinese New Year rush. Look at the PIT-CDG numbers for DL, thats pathetic due to the low demand and low yields.

That would make sense for why the cargo out of PIT is so low on DE and DL flying out because QR is flying out a pure cargo flight to the best place in Europe for cargo

Its not because of QR’s presence why the local PIT market is so low. Its because of the market itself, there isnt much demand at the moment. Once Chinese New Year kicks in, there will be a surge of demand towards Asia.

Besides PIT based freight forwarders do have options other than the carriers at PIT. They can either move it to a main gateway such as JFK or ORD and gain more access to capacity.

DL's low outbound cargo numbers have nothing to do with QR or Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year is next month. The DL and DE stats are from last June. Chinese New Year impacts volume from China much more than to China. QR Cargo carries so little from PIT that I find it hard to believe that is where potential cargo for DL and DE went.

One of the missing key ingredients responsible for the pathetic cargo scene at PIT is a lack of large freight forwarders in the region. How many major players do we have at PIT? Like two? Compared to hundreds at ORD and JFK who truck beyond those markets anyway. To grow PIT's cargo business the ACAA needs to attract more forwarders to set up shop. Offer tax breaks, land, etc etc.

Sorry not sure if this was discussed in the 2018 time frame but this is a good article IMO - there are always two sides of the coin.

https://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh ... d=11209304

It is tough for PIT to entice large airline carriers without incentives and unfortunately there has been issues as per the article. I myself witnessed a complete downfall of the airport from 2007 till 2010 when LUS completely folded all non-hub routes. It used to be a nice airport and hopefully things pick up.

Sorry if this is a dupe and has been discussed.

2018 total passenger count is in. 9,658,897, an increase of 7.5%.

This is about 16,000 more than the numbers for CLE (9,642,729) But its amazing how close the two are. I'd expect CLE to be ahead for 2019 considering F9 is in growth mode there again while in retreat mode again at PIT, plus G4 adding a few more destinations at CLE while PIT loses WW.

I think for 2018 we will maintain our margin over IND (about 180,000 more YTD in OCT, the last numbers I could find for IND) and more so over CVG and CMH.

https://blueskypit.com/2019/01/18/9-6-million-passengers-show-hometown-advantage/

Terrific growth throughout the Ohio Valley/Great Lakes. It bugs me that these airports are so small compared to their population—- think MCI, STL, RDU for nonhub, nontourist airports in smaller or comparable cities that are much larger— but it probably has to do with the fact the Chicago and the northeast are pretty drivable from OH and PA.

Pittsburgh based Michael Baker Int'l won the contract for architectural and engineering design of the new parking garage and ground transportation center.
https://blueskypit.com/2019/01/18/another-step-closer-to-a-new-terminal/
Why not have Gensler/HDR do this (they won the contract for the terminal)?

ncflyer wrote:

It bugs me that these airports are so small compared to their population—- think MCI, STL, RDU for nonhub, nontourist airports in smaller or comparable cities that are much larger— but it probably has to do with the fact the Chicago and the northeast are pretty drivable from OH and PA.

STL is a hub and RDU is a boom town. Having said that I agree; the markets in this part of the country are within driving range of several other large markets. Contrast that to MCI and MSY which only have 1 major market within comfortable driving distance (STL and Houston respectively).

"Allegheny County Airport Authority wants partial subsidies back from Wow Air "

"The Iceland-based carrier suspended flights from Pittsburgh Jan. 11, and airport officials are not expecting it back any time soon.

In fact, the Allegheny County Airport Authority is seeking a return of $187,500 of the $800,000 in subsidies it gave to Wow in 2017 in exchange for two years of service from Pittsburgh, CEO Christina Cassotis said Friday.

It also is billing the airline for $377,972 in landing and gate fees that would have been waived had the carrier completed its two-year agreement, which would have ended this June.

“We will expect them to reimburse us for the incentives that were dependent upon two years of continuing service,” Ms. Cassotis said. Since suspending flights Jan. 11, the airline has not talked to the authority, which operates Pittsburgh International, or given any indication that intends to resume service, even on a seasonal basis.

Asked if the authority is counting Wow as gone, Ms. Cassotis replied, “Yeah, for now. You have to. I mean they’re not here. They are gone. But that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t like to have them back."

https://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2019/01/18/Pittsburgh-subsidies-Wow-Air-Iceland-Allegheny-County-Airport-Authority-incentives/stories/201901180121


"“Those planes were full. If you take a look at the market to Reykjavik I think it’s stimulated by many thousands of percent,” she said. “I mean it’s crazy. If you look at how many people had gone to Iceland before Wow versus how many people went to Iceland after, it’s huge. "

So as suspected the PIT-KEF market was stimulated many thousands of percent. This is why I would like to see WW return eventually regardless of what BA, DE, or potentially EI do with PIT. If not WW then perhaps FI on a limited seasonal basis - just to serve the local Iceland market which has proven itself to be a wonderful destination.

flyPIT wrote:

"Allegheny County Airport Authority wants partial subsidies back from Wow Air "

"The Iceland-based carrier suspended flights from Pittsburgh Jan. 11, and airport officials are not expecting it back any time soon.

In fact, the Allegheny County Airport Authority is seeking a return of $187,500 of the $800,000 in subsidies it gave to Wow in 2017 in exchange for two years of service from Pittsburgh, CEO Christina Cassotis said Friday.

It also is billing the airline for $377,972 in landing and gate fees that would have been waived had the carrier completed its two-year agreement, which would have ended this June.

“We will expect them to reimburse us for the incentives that were dependent upon two years of continuing service,” Ms. Cassotis said. Since suspending flights Jan. 11, the airline has not talked to the authority, which operates Pittsburgh International, or given any indication that intends to resume service, even on a seasonal basis.

Asked if the authority is counting Wow as gone, Ms. Cassotis replied, “Yeah, for now. You have to. I mean they’re not here. They are gone. But that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t like to have them back."

https://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2019/01/18/Pittsburgh-subsidies-Wow-Air-Iceland-Allegheny-County-Airport-Authority-incentives/stories/201901180121


"“Those planes were full. If you take a look at the market to Reykjavik I think it’s stimulated by many thousands of percent,” she said. “I mean it’s crazy. If you look at how many people had gone to Iceland before Wow versus how many people went to Iceland after, it’s huge. "

So as suspected the PIT-KEF market was stimulated many thousands of percent. This is why I would like to see WW return eventually regardless of what BA, DE, or potentially EI do with PIT. If not WW then perhaps FI on a limited seasonal basis - just to serve the local Iceland market which has proven itself to be a wonderful destination.

I would prefer FI as opposed to a return of WOW. We wouldn't get the rock bottom fares but the service would be more reliable even if less frequent.

It’d be a win win but it’ll never happen, some sort of advertising swap between CLE and PIT. Want to fly to Iceland or SAN nonstop, head over to CLE. LHR or FRA or SEA make the easy drive on the turnpike to PIT. The airports could get real creative and offer some kind of couponing on parking. It’s faster and more reliable than changing planes to make the drive from many parts of town and I’ll bet most people don’t even consider it.

Fact of the day: Aside from the strange CHS experiment BA is going to try, PIT will be the only city* served by BA from LHR that will not also be served by AA from LAX.

*Not counting the overlap between JFK/EWR and the WAS airports. AA serves SAN, SJC, SFO, SEA, LAS, PHX, DEN, IAH, AUS, DFW, ORD, MSY, BNA, MIA, IAD, JFK, BOS, PHL, and ATL from LAX.

flyPIT wrote:

"Allegheny County Airport Authority wants partial subsidies back from Wow Air "

"The Iceland-based carrier suspended flights from Pittsburgh Jan. 11, and airport officials are not expecting it back any time soon.

In fact, the Allegheny County Airport Authority is seeking a return of $187,500 of the $800,000 in subsidies it gave to Wow in 2017 in exchange for two years of service from Pittsburgh, CEO Christina Cassotis said Friday.

It also is billing the airline for $377,972 in landing and gate fees that would have been waived had the carrier completed its two-year agreement, which would have ended this June.

“We will expect them to reimburse us for the incentives that were dependent upon two years of continuing service,” Ms. Cassotis said. Since suspending flights Jan. 11, the airline has not talked to the authority, which operates Pittsburgh International, or given any indication that intends to resume service, even on a seasonal basis.

Asked if the authority is counting Wow as gone, Ms. Cassotis replied, “Yeah, for now. You have to. I mean they’re not here. They are gone. But that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t like to have them back."

https://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2019/01/18/Pittsburgh-subsidies-Wow-Air-Iceland-Allegheny-County-Airport-Authority-incentives/stories/201901180121


"“Those planes were full. If you take a look at the market to Reykjavik I think it’s stimulated by many thousands of percent,” she said. “I mean it’s crazy. If you look at how many people had gone to Iceland before Wow versus how many people went to Iceland after, it’s huge. "

So as suspected the PIT-KEF market was stimulated many thousands of percent. This is why I would like to see WW return eventually regardless of what BA, DE, or potentially EI do with PIT. If not WW then perhaps FI on a limited seasonal basis - just to serve the local Iceland market which has proven itself to be a wonderful destination.

Yep. Saw that coming from a mile away.

Anyway, this is yet another perfect example as to what adding a nonstop does to demand for a market. The flight in addition to O&D generated a lot of connecting traffic from continental Europe as well.

GSP psgr wrote:

Fact of the day: Aside from the strange CHS experiment BA is going to try, PIT will be the only city* served by BA from LHR that will not also be served by AA from LAX.

*Not counting the overlap between JFK/EWR and the WAS airports. AA serves SAN, SJC, SFO, SEA, LAS, PHX, DEN, IAH, AUS, DFW, ORD, MSY, BNA, MIA, IAD, JFK, BOS, PHL, and ATL from LAX.

I have my doubts about a legacy jumping back in on PIT-LAX. Seems like they would rather chase after better yields through connections rather than flying nonstop. DL potentially could add a flight as they've never tried the route before. But from what it seems, PIT-SLC has been getting very good yields in addition to loads and the flight is connection-heavy. I wonder if they would rather continue advertising that flight for West Coast connections than try to free up gates for a nonstop on a route that has historically been unsuccessful for legacies.

I think NK is going to drop out of PIT-LAX at some point. September was not a good month at all and it only did marginally well during the summer. I wouldn't be surprised if they bailed out and WN immediately went back to 1x daily year-round or even added a 2nd daily flight for the summer.

Flaps wrote:

I would prefer FI as opposed to a return of WOW. We wouldn't get the rock bottom fares but the service would be more reliable even if less frequent.

Agreed. I must admit however that WW did a remarkable job with advertising an unknown brand and did gain a following. Their brand does have a certain coolness factor that FI lacks. At the end of the day I'd be happy if either one restored PIT-KEF.

Runway28L wrote:

Anyway, this is yet another perfect example as to what adding a nonstop does to demand for a market. The flight in addition to O&D generated a lot of connecting traffic from continental Europe as well.

Yep. BDL was a similar story. When TransStates pulled their 3x daily PIT-BDL flights PDEW numbers fell from like 100 to 9, and the drive between the two is not an easy one. That's why I'd like to see WN pick that one up. 4x weekly with Via Air just doesn't do it.

Runway28L wrote:

I think NK is going to drop out of PIT-LAX at some point. September was not a good month at all and it only did marginally well during the summer. I wouldn't be surprised if they bailed out and WN immediately went back to 1x daily year-round or even added a 2nd daily flight for the summer.

Agreed on NK pulling PIT-LAX. That's fine with me if that's what it takes for DL to give the route a shot.

DL updated their May schedule for PIT recently. A few highlights regarding that:

- ATL now a mix of MD88/MD90/B738/B739
- DTW all-RJ except for an RON which has been upgraded from an MD90 to a B739
- MSP all-RJ except for a B738 RON
- LGA mostly E170/175 with some CRJ9s
- Two of the five BOS flights have been swapped to E170/175s
- SLC still an A319
- JFK still all-CRJ9
- CUN's season has all of a sudden been cut very short. Was bookable until 8/11 but it now appears to be ending on 4/27 and it's no longer bookable past that date.

Runway28L wrote:

DL updated their May schedule for PIT recently. A few highlights regarding that:

- ATL now a mix of MD88/MD90/B738/B739
- DTW all-RJ except for an RON which has been upgraded from an MD90 to a B739
- MSP all-RJ except for a B738 RON
- LGA mostly E170/175 with some CRJ9s
- Two of the five BOS flights have been swapped to E170/175s
- SLC still an A319
- JFK still all-CRJ9
- CUN's season has all of a sudden been cut very short. Was bookable until 8/11 but it now appears to be ending on 4/27 and it's no longer bookable past that date.

DL's yields on PIT-CUN must've been pretty bad, which is odd considering they had the highest load factors on the route of the five carriers running that route.

ctrabs0114 wrote:

Runway28L wrote:

DL updated their May schedule for PIT recently. A few highlights regarding that:

- ATL now a mix of MD88/MD90/B738/B739
- DTW all-RJ except for an RON which has been upgraded from an MD90 to a B739
- MSP all-RJ except for a B738 RON
- LGA mostly E170/175 with some CRJ9s
- Two of the five BOS flights have been swapped to E170/175s
- SLC still an A319
- JFK still all-CRJ9
- CUN's season has all of a sudden been cut very short. Was bookable until 8/11 but it now appears to be ending on 4/27 and it's no longer bookable past that date.

DL's yields on PIT-CUN must've been pretty bad, which is odd considering they had the highest load factors on the route of the five carriers running that route.

The flight got upgraded to a B739 as well. Last year it ran from Dec-Aug, and this year's also started in late December. I wonder if it's just a shorter season or getting axed for good. If it's the latter, then perhaps the market is correcting itself. Five carriers was way too much and even four seems like a lot.

If gone, this would be the second route out of PIT that DL upgraded capacity on and instantly cut later. Weird.

Runway28L wrote:

So I’ll toss my predictions in here for 2019. In my opinion, there is going to be a lot less craziness like there was over the past two years, as I believe growth may level off a bit. Here’s what I can see happening though:

-AA drops RDU, but DL immediately picks it up.

And just like that, DL is adding PIT-RDU starting June 8th.

1x daily CRJ9

Edit: UA is also adding a 6th daily flight to IAH in June, although it looks like mainline is being pulled entirely.

Also, UA has updated their June 2019 schedule.

ORD
1x B739
1x B738
2x A319
2x E175

DEN
1x B739
1x A320
1x A319

IAH
5x E170
1x E175

EWR
1x B73G
8x E175

SFO
1x B739
1x A319

IAD
4x CRJ7

Hopefully DL will increase to 2x daily when AA pulls the route.

Also of note is A/C increasing BWI-YUL to 2x daily. PIT-YUL started on the same day as BWI-YUL; hopefully we will see an increase as well in the near future.

However, loads were 12-13 percentage points higher to and from BWI in June 2018. OTOH that's only 5-6 more people on a 50 seater. PIT/BWI-YUL departure times were very similar. Hopefully the second BWI flight proves to be very successful and stimulates additional demand causing A/C to consider a second PIT-YUL as well.

Just stumbled across this video. A quick update and review of 2018 from Col. Douglas N. Strawbridge, commander of the 911th Airlift Wing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxexc0lVC-g

Some interesting tidbits regarding the ongoing conversion:
- 2018 has ended "well into the C-17 conversion"
- The 911th deployed C-17s into the Western Pacific, Europe, and Middle Africa during the latter part of 2018
- The 911th's conversion has been "the most complex" of any that AFRC has ever undertook
- AFRC has claimed that it has been "the best conversion" in the command's entire history

I noticed last night that short term parking is now $2 for 1 hour. When did the price increase? Has to be new for 2019....

Runway28L wrote:

Just stumbled across this video. A quick update and review of 2018 from Col. Douglas N. Strawbridge, commander of the 911th Airlift Wing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxexc0lVC-g

Some interesting tidbits regarding the ongoing conversion:
- 2018 has ended "well into the C-17 conversion"
- The 911th deployed C-17s into the Western Pacific, Europe, and Middle Africa during the latter part of 2018
- The 911th's conversion has been "the most complex" of any that AFRC has ever undertook
- AFRC has claimed that it has been "the best conversion" in the command's entire history

Can't decipher the 911th Facebook page. Are there any C-17s on station or do the crews have to go to Dayton still to pick up their ships?

ConcourseZ wrote:

Runway28L wrote:

Just stumbled across this video. A quick update and review of 2018 from Col. Douglas N. Strawbridge, commander of the 911th Airlift Wing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxexc0lVC-g

Some interesting tidbits regarding the ongoing conversion:
- 2018 has ended "well into the C-17 conversion"
- The 911th deployed C-17s into the Western Pacific, Europe, and Middle Africa during the latter part of 2018
- The 911th's conversion has been "the most complex" of any that AFRC has ever undertook
- AFRC has claimed that it has been "the best conversion" in the command's entire history

Can't decipher the 911th Facebook page. Are there any C-17s on station or do the crews have to go to Dayton still to pick up their ships?

None are on station yet. All five are still based at Wright-Patt. I have no idea when they will arrive but it has to be before the end of October this year since that is when the final phase is scheduled to be completed.

The ACAA updated their route map (KEF removed and DL to RDU added). Interesting that SAN remains as "seasonal"??? Then again these knuckleheads haven't figured out that PUJ is a year round destination for at least a couple years now....

flyPIT wrote:

The ACAA updated their route map (KEF removed and DL to RDU added). Interesting that SAN remains as "seasonal"??? Then again these knuckleheads haven't figured out that PUJ is a year round destination for at least a couple years now....

The Florida page needs to be updated as well. NK is daily to FLL instead of weekly. B6 no longers serves FLL. And AA is 2x daily to MIA instead of 3x daily.