News

Mesa Air Group Inc. says the decision to halt US Airways Express commuter flights out of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport was based on a "long-term economic outlook."

"It was basically a combination of financial considerations and network optimization throughout our organization," Scott Lyon, vice president of planning for Mesa, told the Tribune-Review on Friday.

The company, based in Phoenix, Ariz., announced this week that it will discontinue daily air service from the airport in Unity Township to Pittsburgh International Airport in Allegheny County as of July 11.

The commuter was the airport's sole commercial flight service.

"Obviously, it was not a decision we made lightly," Lyon said, attributing a national trend of cutbacks in commercial air service at regional airports to the "leakage" of passengers to discount carriers and other incentives at major hubs.

Westmoreland County airport officials also have been struggling with declining passenger numbers during the past several years.

Annual totals dropped from more than 20,000 in the 1990s to about 10,000 commercial passengers last year despite efforts by airport officials to promote the service, including slashed fares.

The figures had started to turn upward again in the past few months, but only by 100 to 200 passengers per month. That is well short of its former levels.

While Lyon admitted the local efforts may have produced "a short-term boost, the long-term economic outlook didn't look as good," he said. "So it was time to move on."

Airport officials disagree with that reasoning.

"I think the long-range outlook for his company doesn't look good because of the weaknesses of the aircraft they have," airport Manager Gabe Monzo said.

The local commuter is flown by Air Midwest of Wichita, Kan., which was acquired by Mesa in 1991 and operates some of its fleet of Beech 1900 aircraft as US Airways Express.

Monzo said limited (19-passenger) seating, cramped quarters and twin turboprop engines leave the airplanes less inviting to many would-be passengers.

"Running a fleet of them wouldn't be cost-effective," Monzo said. "And we have been told that they (Mesa) are looking to get out of the turboprop business, but they would never give us a regional jet here."

Mesa -- which operates 171 aircraft in 160 cities in 42 states, Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas -- has been retiring some of its older Beech 1900s and has recently acquired 20 new 50-seat regional jets.

Airport officials remain highly optimistic about the long-range outlook for the county airport.

"I think it's fantastic," Monzo said, saying ground will be broken this month for the authority's $10 million runway-extension project.

The state Department of Transportation is finalizing plans to widen Route 981 to four lanes from Route 30 to the airport area, which would improve traffic flow to the facility.

In the meantime, a Colorado-based consultant was hired recently to help the airport apply for federal funds to market the facility.

The Boyd Group/ASRC Inc. of Evergreen, Colo., has been retained to prepare an application for a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Small Community Air Service Development program.

The marketing and promotion plan being prepared was aimed at energizing the current air service and laying groundwork to possibly increase it. Officials with the Boyd Group have reported that the airport has "a great untapped potential."

However, because Mesa's move to halt air service at Arnold Palmer Regional, "that application is now being revised," Monzo said. "We may now be looking for $750,000, which could be used for marketing and recruitment."

Monzo said the Boyd Group's assistance seems to have improved response and interest from other air service providers in the industry.

And that may prove handy, as he also said he currently is "talking with carriers that fly under the US Airways banner," including Colgan, Allegheny and Chautauqua, in an attempt to negotiate a replacement service.

"We're also talking to Delta Connection and Continental Express," Monzo said. "I'm very optimistic that we can have something in here before July."

• Most Read
• Most E-mailed
• Latest News