From www.wstm.com: Senator Wants To Land Lower Airfares In Syracuse Edited by Dave <mailto:dpieklik@wstm.com> Pieklik Senator Schumer brought in David Siegel, the C.E.O. of U.S. Airways, to a meeting at Hancock Airport. Both sides are open to discussion on how to make service and prices better here, but at the same time allowing the airline to be profitable. It has been dialogue that wasn't possible with the company's old boss. "And he said, 'Well, you ought to find some new competition.' So I did," Schumer says. Schumer brought Jet Blue and Southwest Airways to New York State and is in the process of lobbying U.S. Air, one of the nation's largest carriers, and one that accounts for more than a third of the flights out of Syracuse. Says Schumer: "We can't survive very well without a strong U.S. Air in upstate New York. They have the infrastructure, they have the network we need." Siegel told an audience of nearly 50 businessmen and aviation officials that Central New York is "critical" to the airline's long-term success, which is currently operating in bankruptcy with loans from the federal government. Part of the company's plan is to have an all-jet fleet, meaning someday there will be no more prop planes carrying passengers to its hubs. And of course, it means cheaper prices; just how much will remain unknown for now. "I don't want to talk about fares specifically. That's not something an airline executive likes to do. But we will be competitive," Siegel says. And making prices more competitive is what Schumer is trying to do, knowing all too well that people from Central New York are driving to Albany and Buffalo because it's cheaper to fly from there.