PITTSBURGH US Airways tells of pullout impact

The airline is trying to pressure the county during negotiations, an official says.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Western Pennsylvania could lose 16,800 jobs and $1.8 billion annually if US Airways pulls its hub from the Pittsburgh International Airport, an economic impact study released by the airline said, and it's unlikely that the region could lure another air carrier to fill the void.
The study, released by the Arlington, Va.-based airline, which has threatened to pull out of its Pittsburgh hub and base its MidAtlantic Airways regional carrier elsewhere, warned that eight smaller Pennsylvania airports -- Altoona, Bradford, DuBois, Franklin, Johnstown, Latrobe, Reading and Williamsport -- could completely lose their air service. Pittsburgh's airport will lose all but 36 of its 110 nonstop flights, including those to Los Angeles and San Francisco, if the hub closes, the study said.
US Airways paid for the study, completed by the Campbell-Hill Aviation Group Inc., an Alexandria, Va.-based private consulting firm.
Frequent fliers informed
The same day, the airline sent e-mails to frequent fliers, outlining the report's findings, including details of how a hub closing would harm the region's $2 billion tourism industry. The 1.4 million visitors who come to the area by air every year contribute $774.1 million to the local economy, the study said.
US Airways spokesman David Castelveter said Thursday he did not know how much the study cost.
"Please don't read in between the lines. This e-mail was sent to passengers within a 200-mile radius of Pittsburgh to let them know what we're doing and the issues we face. If we were to leave, it would greatly impact them. We feel an obligation to keep them informed," Castelveter said.
Pressure alleged
Allegheny County Chief Executive Jim Roddey said the airline fired off the e-mails to "build public pressure" as US Airways looks to renegotiate its leases at airports in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
The airline has asked for as much as $864 million in state aid and improvements at the state's two largest airports. US Airways, which controls 80 percent of the gates and therefore pays most of the airport's bond debt under a deal struck when a new Pittsburgh terminal opened in 1992, wants $500 million cut from the $673 million in outstanding bond debt.
Allegheny County officials have said such a cut is unworkable and are upset because the new terminal was designed to specifications desired by the airline, then known as USAir.