> $2B jet deal to boost regional fleet > > > US Airways is close to placing an order worth at least $2 billion for more than 100 regional > jets made by Embraer of Brazil, as part of a multiyear fleet plan for the newly formed > MidAtlantic Airways division based in Pittsburgh. > > The airline, which emerged from bankruptcy March 31, within weeks is expected to place a firm > order for the small, cost-efficient jets from Embraer, said the Air Line Pilots Association. > MidAtlantic is supposed to begin service by the end of 2003. > > Over the next several years, the Arlington, Va.-based carrier plans to order up to 365 more > regional jets for MidAtlantic, and the three other express carriers US Airways owns. Those > Embraer orders are expected to involve regional jets with between 44 and 50 seats, the union > said. > > Building a sizable regional jet fleet has been a key piece in US Airways' recovery plan for > nearly two years. Management floated plans to acquire hundreds of regional jets long before > David Siegel arrived as CEO in early 2002 and months before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, > 2001, sent passenger traffic into a long slump. > > > > Pittsburgh, and others cities, may be too expensive, US Airways says > > > US Airways President and CEO David Siegel told investors on Thursday that Pittsburgh > International Airport cannot compete in today's aviation market and that other cities could soon > find their airports in similar situations. > > Speaking during a Morgan Stanley debt investors conference in New York, Siegel said US Airways' > costs at Pittsburgh International are too high and explained why the airline decided to reject > its Pittsburgh leases 21 minutes before successfully emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy > protection. > > > > Luck o' the Irish > > > US Airways will inaugurate service this Sunday between Philadelphia and Dublin and service > between Philadelphia and Shannon on Monday. Seasonal daily service to both Ireland destinations > will operate through the end of October, using Boeing 767 aircraft. > > Separately, US Airways begins operations today at Philadelphia International Terminal A-West. > All US Airways flights to and from Europe and the Caribbean will operate from the new four-level > terminal, which houses 13 gates, 56 immigration booths and 800,000 square feet of total space. > US Airways has nine leased wide-body gates in the new facility, and has access to up to three > additional gates. > > A new US Airways Club and Envoy Lounge together occupy space in the uppermost level of > International Terminal A-West and encompass almost an acre of floor space. > > The combination Club and Lounge is the largest of the 24 Clubs in the US Airways network. US > Airways Club members traveling internationally will enjoy the convenient facility location, > which is within five to seven minutes of the international departure gates. Customers traveling > in Envoy Class also will have access to a separate Envoy Lounge within the Club, which provides > complimentary cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. > > "The addition of our ninth and tenth European destinations and the beginning of our operations > out of this spectacular new terminal signal the bright future of US Airways' international > gateway in Philadelphia," said Vice President of International Doug Leo. > > > Bad Press? > > US Airways Friday, expressed its strong disappointment to the leadership of the Pittsburgh > Post-Gazette for its unfortunate choice of words in a headline on a story about a speech that > Dave Siegel made to a New York investment conference yesterday. The headline read, "Pittsburgh > airport called a loser by US Airways CEO." In fact, Siegel never made such a characterization. > In his keynote speech to the Morgan Stanley airline debt conference, Siegel used Pittsburgh as > an example in his discussion of airport costs, which he said are part of the next wave of > aviation industry restructuring. > > "Just as airlines expanded too much in the last decade, so too have airports. And the debt is > coming home to roost," he said. Siegel pointed out that it costs US Airways nearly $9 per > passenger to use the Pittsburgh hub, of which $8 goes directly to service the $675 million debt > of the airport. "Now Pittsburgh is a great airport. But as impressive as it is, and as much as > people like connecting there... not one passenger is willing to pay us extra for the privilege > of connecting at our Pittsburgh hub." Siegel reiterated his desire to work with the leadership > of the Pittsburgh community to find a solution. "Whether it be to maintain our hub at > Pittsburgh, or to attract other airlines to serve or expand at the airport, making it a > cost-competitive place to do business is going to be critical for the future of Pittsburgh," he > said. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com