WASHINGTON, DC- After learning that USAirways intends to reduce flights and employment levels at Pittsburgh International Airport, U.S. Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Bob Casey (D-PA) today wrote a letter to Douglas Parker, CEO of USAirways, expressing their deep disappointment in his company’s decision and strongly urging him to reconsider it.
“We are deeply concerned over the negative impacts that this decision will have on the southwestern Pennsylvania region and are disturbed that USAirways continues to reduce its presence in Pittsburgh,” the Senators wrote. “This announcement not only has the potential to create economic and social hardships for the individuals and families affected by the employment reduction, but it may also leave business and recreational passengers with fewer travel options”
The letter follows USAirways' announcement that it will cut 40 flights, eliminate 450 local jobs and shift 500 local pilots and flight attendants from the Pittsburgh area as of January 2008. In the letter, Senators Specter and Casey asserted that such cuts would also adversely affect economic growth around the airport and travel to and from smaller rural airports that rely on Pittsburgh International Airport as a connector between their communities and destinations nationwide.
Full text of the letter is below.
Dear Mr. Parker:
We write to express our extreme disappointment over your recent decision to reduce flights and employment levels at Pittsburgh International Airport.
It is our understanding that beginning in January 2008, USAirways intends to eliminate 40 flights and 950 jobs from its Pittsburgh operation. We are deeply concerned over the negative impacts that this decision will have on the southwestern Pennsylvania region and are disturbed that USAirways continues to reduce its presence in Pittsburgh.
This announcement not only has the potential to create economic and social hardships for the individuals and families affected by the employment reduction, but it may also leave business and recreational passengers with fewer travel options. Decreased air service options at Pittsburgh could likely hinder the airport’s ability to attract business and economic development to southwestern Pennsylvania.
We are also concerned over your company’s announcement that most of the flight reductions will occur on routes that provide service to and from small communities. This could have an even greater cumulative impact on the economy of Pennsylvania as many rural airports in our state connect to national destinations via Pittsburgh.
Accordingly, we urge you to reconsider this decision or at the very least make every conceivable effort to mitigate its potentially harmful impacts on the economy and quality of life of the greater Pittsburgh region and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We also urge you to avoid if at all possible any future reductions to your presence at Pittsburgh International Airport.
Thank you for your personal attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Arlen Specter, U.S. Senator and Bob Casey, U.S. Senator
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