It enables county to show off airport, make some cash
Sunday, November 01, 2009
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
With tons of space available at Pittsburgh International Airport, airlines are flocking here -- in bad weather, at least.
More and more carriers, from the United Arab Emirates national airline to Delta, are seeing the airport as a foul weather friend when storms strike the East Coast or other parts of the country.
"We are recognized as kind of a calm port in the storm," said Bradley D. Penrod, executive director of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, which operates Pittsburgh International.
Dozens of times a year, airlines will divert jets from their destinations to Pittsburgh to wait out thunderstorms, snow, fog or other types of bad weather or, in some cases, heavy congestion.
After the loss of the US Airways hub and numerous flight cutbacks, Pittsburgh International is more than happy to accommodate wayward jets. The flights not only generate some cash but give officials a chance to show off the facility and its ability to handle traffic and weather. After all, sometimes the same storm clobbering the East Coast might hit Pittsburgh as well.
While revenue from diversions can be "significant," there's also a hope that airlines redirected here will see the airport as a "well-run safe haven" and at some point consider adding regularly scheduled flights, Mr. Penrod said.
"I think it certainly gives us the exposure to carriers and customers," he said. "We are a public service first. If we can help the traveling public out, at the end of the day we've done our job."
Mr. Penrod is quick to point out that Pittsburgh, with plenty of runway space and little congestion, was handling diversions even during its heyday as a US Airways hub when there were as many 600 flights a day out of the airport.
But he added there has been an "uptick" in such activity in recent years, in part because of horror stories about travelers being trapped on idling jets for hours during storms. Mr. Penrod also served on a federal task force put together to address delays, giving Pittsburgh more exposure.
"I think our diversion business today is based on a little more knowledge of Pittsburgh by the industry and also a carrier's desire to stay out of the news in a negative light because of people being stuck on an airplane," Mr. Penrod said. "They are becoming more proactive."
Through October this year, the airport handled about 150 airplanes diverted from other cities. In all of 2008, it provided shelter for 240 airplanes, including 47 in January alone. The numbers involve only those planes that ended up at airport authority-owned gates, not those leased to individual airlines.
On Christmas Eve last year, the airport took in 16 planes -- a mix of regional jets and Boeing 737s -- at one time during a storm. Mr. Penrod said the record for the most diverted jets handled at any one time in Pittsburgh is 34.
Once on the ground, diverted planes sometimes simply taxi to a gate to refuel and wait out a storm before taking off again. Other times passengers will exit the plane and stay in the terminal until the trouble has passed. During extreme delays, airlines might put up travelers for the night.
Nearly all major U.S. carriers have redirected planes to Pittsburgh, including Delta, Continental, United and US Airways. International carriers Lufthansa and British Airways also have done so.
More could be on the way.
In the spring, Emirates Airlines met with airport officials about handling diversions if its Airbus 380 super jumbo jet, which can hold 490 passengers, encounters bad weather or other problems in New York or Toronto. The Pittsburgh airport even has modified a jetway to accommodate the big airplane in case it lands here.
Two other carriers -- South African Airways and Japan Airlines -- began discussions with the airport about diverting planes to Pittsburgh after bringing dignitaries into town for the Group of 20 summit in September. Both were impressed with the airport and the service they received, Mr. Penrod said.
"They said, 'We're going to put you on our list' because they liked what they saw here," he said. "They had never been to Pittsburgh before the G-20."
Carol Anderson, assistant director of public relations for Japan Airlines, said Pittsburgh is one of six airports designated as an alternate for John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. It also is an alternate for flights headed across the country if bad weather or an emergency arises en route to the plane's destination.
Ms. Anderson said the airline had the opportunity to check out the Pittsburgh airport during the summit and found that it had "good ground handling support" and could accommodate the carrier's fleet, which includes Boeing 777s and 747s. It also could deal with customs and immigration issues related to international flights, she said.
Michael Boyd, a Colorado-based aviation consultant, said Pittsburgh could see even bigger increases in diverted traffic if Congress passes legislation limiting the amount of time passengers can spend inside idling planes.
Unlike many other airports, Pittsburgh has the gate space to handle large numbers of airplanes, particularly with the US Airways hub gone, Mr. Boyd said. Because of the airport's layout, travelers also can get off planes to eat, use restrooms or shop without having to clear security again. That's not always the case at other airports, he noted.
"If you're going to divert, divert to Pittsburgh," he said.
Pittsburgh also has the advantage of being close to major East Coast airports, making it an easy alternative for pilots during inclement weather or delays, Mr. Boyd noted.
"You're right in the middle of where all the problems are. Philadelphia isn't exactly the garden spot of air travel," he said.
Although the Federal Aviation Administration doesn't require carriers to file formal plans listing what airports they will use for backups, it does mandate that domestic flights carry an extra 45 minutes of fuel in case planes can't make it to their intended destinations.
That leaves Pittsburgh well-positioned to handle diversions from New York or Washington, both of which are within 45 minutes of air time to the airport.
Mr. Penrod said another factor that has helped Pittsburgh become a favorite substitute for airlines is an 11,500-foot runway that can handle virtually any commercial jet.
High fuel costs have made airlines more deliberate in getting airplanes on the ground during delays, even if it means diverting them, rather than having them circle an airport. "It's an operating cost they've got to be cognizant of," Mr. Penrod said.
While Mr. Boyd praises the airport for "very aggressive management" in persuading airlines to divert flights to Pittsburgh, he does not believe the exposure will result in many carriers adding flights on a regular basis.
"That's a whole different demand," he said. "It doesn't hurt
, but it doesn't mean I want to fly here now."
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09305/1009914-147.stm#ixzz0aM3cz5EM
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
