PENNSYLVANIA Pgh. airport to start ad campaign

IMPERIAL, Pa. (AP) -- Pittsburgh International Airport will launch an advertising campaign in September to try to stop the loss of western Pennsylvania travelers leaving the state in search of cheaper air fares.
The Allegheny County Airport Authority approved spending $360,500 Friday for three months of television and radio ads.
Authority executive director Kent George estimates that about 750,000 passengers a year go to Cleveland or Columbus, Ohio, or Baltimore to fly -- or simply drive to their destination -- because of high air fares at the Pittsburgh airport.
The ad campaign is aimed at letting fliers know that scenario is changing.
The dominance of US Airways has been blamed as one reason for Pittsburgh's high air fares, but the financially troubled airline is cutting back on flights out of the city, making room for more discount carriers such as America West and AirTran.
The airport also boasts a modern terminal and fewer delays than many major cities, officials say. George said the trick is getting people to try the airport.
"When they use Pittsburgh once, we never have to sell them again," George said.