There is almost no down side to Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato's attempt to lease the parking at Pittsburgh International Airport.

He hopes a private firm will pay $500 million or more for a long-term contract, and he says no deal will be made for less. That's just about the sum needed to pay off the airport's debt, most of which is due to construction of the terminal that opened in 1992.

The debt is a big factor in what the airport charges airlines to use Pittsburgh International, and the fees are part of the equation airlines use in determining where they will offer service and where they won't.

The 13,200 spaces in the garage and parking lots bring in $22 million a year, which is used to offset the fees airlines pay for use of the airport. The fees amount to $15.80 per passenger and, even though they'll drop to $13.40 this month, that's far higher than the median of $6.24 at 116 other airports.

If leasing the parking operation can erase the debt and the county can charge carriers less, Mr. Onorato hopes more airlines will use the airport. Expanded service would be good news for businesses and for casual travelers.

Even if the numbers of flights or airlines using Pittsburgh International don't surge, eliminating the debt and charging lower fees are expected to lead to fare cuts for Pittsburgh travelers by the airport's current carriers.

The county still must determine with the Federal Aviation Administration just how long a long-term lease of the parking operation could be. The public's chief concern in the agreement should involve future parking rates, and the county must ensure that any request for proposals from private contractors includes language that will prevent price gouging at the airport.

There is no harm in gauging interest in such a deal among parking operators, and doing so is a logical part of the county's top-to-bottom review of airport operations.