Pittsburgh Ranks High Among Airports With Lowest FaresPOSTED: 4:40 pm EDT June 5,
2008 PITTSBURGH -- Since 2001, Pittsburgh's lost several hundred flights after US Airways dropped it as a hub.When Pittsburgh International Airport lost the hub, it was a seemingly tough blow for the region. But it has turned out to be a blessing in disguise in light of the rising fuel prices.Video:  Watch Sheldon Ingram's ReportThe airport is sitting in first class when the average airfares are examined among the Top 75 airports.Ruth Lehotsky, of Cecil Township, said don't be mistaken, because airfares in the region have increased significantly.She said she had spent two months trying to fine reasonable airfare for her family vacation to Dallas."It ranged anywhere from $300 to $800 per person, round-trip," she said.But according to BestFares.com, rising airfares are worse in other cities.A round-trip ticket from Pittsburgh to Houston is up 132 percent over this time last year, but the increase on a round-trip ticket from Philadelphia to San Diego jumped 228 percent. And a flight from Detroit to Providence jumped 365 percent.The Airport Authority said the airlines are punishing markets where they have hubs."A lot of the legacy airlines are increasing fares in their hubs," said airport representative Joann Jenny.But since Pittsburgh is no longer a US Airways hub, it dominated by low-cost competition and ranks 15th among 75 markets with the lowest fares."With an average round-trip fare of $300, the Airport Authority does not anticipate the average fare increasing before the end of the summer. Related Links: More County News Get RSS Headlines | Free Desktop Alert Copyright 2008 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
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