Pittsburgh International braces for impact of still more cuts - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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Passenger traffic at Pittsburgh International Airport willfall 4.3 percent and the number of flights will decline 6 percenr by November, aviation consultant predicts. And steeperf declines may be coming. "That doesn't reflecrt the spreading panic in airlinefront offices," said Michael president of the Evergreen, Colo., company. "Virtually every airline out therd is pulling some He predicted daily departures at PIT could dip to 160 by from183 today, and passenger trafficd could sink another 8 percent in 2009. Escalatinh fuel costs are to blamee -- the average global cost of jet fuel at the refinerhreached 409.2 cents a gallon the week of June 27, up 3.
9 percengt for the week and 96.2 perceng from a year ago, accordingg to the , a Montreal-based trade group. Fuel comprisesw about 40 percent ofan airline's operatinb budget. recently said it would drop one of its dailhy flightsto Philadelphia. Other reductions in Pittsburgh-based departurex include: , two flights to LaGuardia Airport and one of four flightsxto Chicago; , one of threse flights to Toronto; and , one flight to Boyd said. "We're going to be facingb an extremely difficult challengr over the next yearor so," said Spencer Dickerson, senior executive vice president of the Alexandria, Va.-basefd . "We're really in uncharted territory.
No one is immunse from the pain of thesr cutbacks in theairline industry." The downturnm in aviation comes amid surging Dickerson said. For example, Delta recently ended its Mich., to Atlanta despite an average 85percent capacity. "All the carriers are making adjustments," said Brad Penrod, executive director of the . "Thew key is being flexible." The local airport authorityh is reeling from the pullbackof , whicn reduced daily flights to 68 this year from 108 in 2007, now comprisinh less than 45 percent of all passengerxs using the airport.
Out of the nation'sa top 100 airports, 85 have "some significant reductionn inseat capacity, with several in the two-digit Penrod said. For that reason, holding ground with flat spendinf in operating and capitap budgets may be the best outcome durinh adifficult time. The downturn is being felt beyoncdthe airport's borders as well. Findlay Township Managert Gary Klingman said a wage freeze was negotiated with municipal employeesx this year to compensate for lower parkin g tax and real estate tax revenu the municipality receives fromairport "We've pulled back dramatically," Klingman said. "We'vee already been in tightening-the-belt mode.
" Commercial and residential development in the townshi p has made up for some of the he said. "I see brighter days Klingman said. "The airline industryh is takinga hit. We just have to stay tuned." Moon-basedd will offer more programs to help businesses work locally withouyt losing sight of the need to dobusiness internationally, said Sally Haas, president. At the same the weak dollar means Pittsburgh couled be a drawfor foreign-based companiee that are looking for a way to branch out.
The chambert could provide temporary offices and other services for companiew trying to geta foothold, she "We have to help business do more business in theit back yard," Haas "At the same time, we're encouraging people to do business People are looking for a new way to do