US Airways Makes Business Decisions; Pittsburgh Businesses have to Innovate

    May 22, 2007
    Pittsburgh desires to re-establish direct, trans-Atlantic service
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    In defense of US Airways, they are running a business and make decisions that are in the best interest of their company, not the city of Pittsburgh ("US Airways Ends Flights From Here to 5 Cities," May 17). That said, we, the citizens of this region, determine the market, not the airlines. The airlines simply service the demand.

    The charter of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and its affiliates is to stimulate growth in southwestern Pennsylvania's economy and improve its quality of life. The conference's Board of Directors is a collection of the top executives of Pittsburgh's largest employers, and thus the largest consumers of business travel from Pittsburgh International Airport. If this conference is truly interested in the long-term economic viability of our region, then it has the power to consolidate the demand for business travel and put it out for bid, using a service such as Ariba (formerly FreeMarkets).

    For example, Pittsburgh desires to re-establish direct, trans-Atlantic service. Why not partner with another growing city that has never had tran-Atlantic service but would be happy to establish one-stop (Pittsburgh) service from their city to a port in Europe? Consolidate the demand of both cities and get the chief executives of the top local companies to commit a reasonable percentage of their trans-Atlantic travel to a single airline.

    Award the business to a successful bidder. If there are no bids, you are back to where you started, and you know where you stand. Done right, this could serve as a model for other cities focused on growth and development.

    When Wayne Gretzky was asked about the secret to his success, he said: "Skate to where the puck is going, not to where it is." In this context, Pittsburgh needs be thinking more about Asia than Europe.

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