Editorial: On the wing / Keeping fingers crossed for an upstart airline
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At this stage, let's call it Air Optimism. The announcement Tuesday that a new low-cost airline wants to start operations next year at Pittsburgh International Airport has been greeted with interest, hope and, yes, some skepticism.
There is reason for that last reaction. The airline doesn't have a name. It hasn't pulled together the necessary financing. It doesn't have a green light from the Federal Aviation Administration to start flying in June, and in fact such approval usually takes 18 to 24 months.
Why, it hasn't even signed on the dotted line to lease or buy a fleet of Boeing 737-700 airplanes. Moreover, Edward R. Beauvais, the chairman of Project Roam, the working name of the prospective airline, has twice headed carriers -- America West and Western Pacific -- that ended up in bankruptcy.
If that weren't enough, there is the matter of timing. The announcement comes only three weeks before Election Day, when Allegheny County voters must choose between incumbent Chief Executive Jim Roddey and his challenger, county Controller Dan Onorato.
As the precarious status of US Airways hangs heavily upon the county's economic prospects, a new airline could be seen as a political boost to Mr. Roddey. Indeed, although he welcomed the announcement, Mr. Onorato was not alone when he declared himself a "little skeptical."
But Pittsburgh doesn't want to be like a plain kid who isn't lucky enough to be invited to the prom by an attractive date. It's possible that there's another, more optimistic explanation.
After all, Pittsburgh is blessed with a good geographic location, being centrally positioned between the Northeast and the Midwest. It has a great, relatively new airport. In short, it makes sense that a start-up airline would want to come here. Moreover, it is hardly surprising that, with US Airways in difficult straits, competitors might start to gather. In the past, US Airways has ditched its low-cost challengers by lowering fares to the same level, but who knows how long it can afford to play that game.
As for the timing, Mr. Beauvais says the announcement was made because the airline industry has no secrets. Certainly, his group has received a good deal of publicity that can only help his efforts to win backing. And despite his checkered record, Mr. Beauvais and his colleagues are not neophytes in this business.
To think this is all for Mr. Roddey's benefit is to believe that outsiders with their own reputations at stake are coming here to boost one side in an obscure (to them) county election.
In any event, it is ridiculous to think that the new airline would ever replace US Airways if the big carrier were to go. US Airways employs close to 9,000 people locally; the new airline wants to grow from 500 to 2,100 in five years.
If the proposed airline gets up and flying, it will be a good development for the region and its residents who wish to fly cheaply without driving somewhere else. Air Optimism should be encouraged, even if it looks like Air Wishful Thinking at the moment.
First Published October 18, 2003 12:00 am
