MEDIA RELEASE
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thomas Hart, Executive Director of the Williamsport Regional Airport, stated today he has received notice from the US Department of Transportation that US Airways has filed for curtailment of service at the local airport. The last day of service is set for October 2. US Airways provides daily service through their hub in Philadelphia, with connections to over 200 cities worldwide. The service is provided by Piedmont Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of US Airways.
Hart said “in view of the serious issue with fuel prices throughout the industry, the action was not unexpected.” He stated the airport is already working with authorities to resolve the matter. “Scheduled air service is absolutely vital to the economic strength of our region and a positive outcome of this issue is a must” he said. Hart noted that US Airways should remain our airline of choice for the best service of this area.
Hart is very optimistic that airline service here will continue, principally under provisions of the Essential Air Services Act of 1978. The Act, which is administered by the Federal DOT, assures smaller cities that scheduled air carrier service will continue at eligible airports, using subsidized service if necessary. He further pointed to the statement US Airways made in their application for service reduction as a good sign the issue can be worked out favorably. That statement says “US Airways and Piedmont would strongly prefer to continue providing scheduled air service to Williamsport. However, the dramatic increase in the cost of fuel has made it impossible for the carriers to continue to economically operate this service.”
Hart said he has already been in contact with DOT’s Essential Air Service office in Washington D.C. regarding participation in the program. He said he also had several conversations with US Airways management personnel at their Phoenix, AZ corporate headquarters that “gave me a good perspective for managing this issue to a positive conclusion. US Airways has informed me that the closure of the station has not been finalized and this is a corporate move to position them in the event costs continue to rise. Fuel prices are the culprit and we need to stay in the game until the fuel situation returns to something the airline can handle. Throughout this process, we intend to keep scheduled service here at Williamsport.” Hart also noted that this maneuver by US Airways is not unique to Williamsport whereas the company has filed similar requests at several of their cities the size of Williamsport or smaller.
Hart also stated that “while we actively seek to correct this situation, the airport will remain a vital link and continue with our high volumes of corporate and general aviation activities”. Hart stated that it is “important to know that passenger traffic this year remains steady to that of last year, and that passengers counts for May were 10% higher than that of May of 2007.
The Business Travel Coalition, headquartered near Philadelphia issued a press release on Friday indicating their research shows that 150 cities in the US will see a curtailment or elimination of service by Labor Day. On Saturday, Toledo, Ohio and Merced, California were notified of complete loss of all airline service to those cities...