Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato said yesterday that his Monday talks with Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly yielded no commitments, but the airline officials seemed interested in service expansion down the road.

"I wanted to let them know that we want their business and we want their business to expand here," he said, noting the discussion focused on "what they need to expand when the airline industry finally settles down."

Mr. Onorato, who was accompanied by Allegheny County Airport Authority Executive Director Bradley D. Penrod, said the meeting was a "courtesy call" to follow up on a meeting in 2006. The county and airport authority want to know whether Southwest could take on a bigger role if US Airways ever fully pulls out of Pittsburgh International Airport.

Southwest officials, Mr. Onorato said, were particularly impressed that low-cost carriers have maintained or increased the origin and destination traffic out of Pittsburgh.

Noting that Southwest grew relatively fast in Pittsburgh when it went from 10 flights a day to 22 in the first two years after starting service in May 2005, Mr. Onorato said "the Southwest model is what we need here."

Airline officials, however, were very cautious about future expansion, he added.