Pittsburgh International Flights to Cuba

Eight airports in the U.S., including Pittsburgh’s, have been added to the three that have been able to schedule charter flights to Cuba. The Helms-Burton Act of 1996 strengthened the U.S. embargo against Cuba that had been in place since 1960 after Fidel Castro’s rise to power.

State Senator Jim Ferlo says he is elated the Obama administration is easing some of those restrictions, as did the Clinton administration. Ferlo says he considers it unconstitutional that ordinary Americans are prohibited from traveling freely to Cuba. Cuba is the number one destination for Canadians, says Ferlo, and many Pittsburghers would love to go there, which would help fill some of the empty gates at Pittsburgh International Airport. He notes there are many people in Congress who are eager to open up trade with Cuba.

Airport Authority Reports on "State of Aviation"

The head of the Allegheny County Airport Authority gave an upbeat address to the Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce this morning. Even though the airport is under-utilized since it was designed as a hub for US Airways and 32 million passengers a year, Executive Director/CEO Brad Penrod says the airport operates on a self-sufficient basis without taxpayer funds and will pay off its debt by May, 2018. As a result, its bond rating is better than it’s ever been.

Penrod says the airline industry today has moved toward point-to-point flights, with hubs only in major population centers, which Pittsburgh is not. Should that change, e.g., because of congestion in the East, the airport aggressively markets its availability to all airlines.

Penrod says passenger growth is above the national average and ticket prices below.

Pittsburgh is a strong “origin and destination” market, says Penrod, with 37 non-stop cities, and he encourages people to use the direct flights to Paris so Delta Airlines will continue the international service.

Marcellus Shale activity brings passengers into and out of the airport and may lead to revenue from drilling on the property since technology allows the equipment to remain well away from airport operations.

Airport Changes Lightbulbs

About 1,500 lights at Pittsburgh International Airport parking facilities will be changed from their older, less efficient models to Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs, with help from an $800,000 state grant. Allegheny County Airport Authority spokeswoman Joanne Jenny says these new fixtures will cut down energy usage by 83%. Jenny says this translates to about $158,754 in annual savings, which she says will go toward matching the funds provided by the Pennsylvania Energy Department Developmental Authority. The Pennsylvania Office of the Governor reports that local firm Appalachian Lighting Systems will reap the benefits of 75 jobs to be created by the project.

Onorato Wants Natural Gas Drilling In County To Be Organized Effort

Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato wants to form a committee composed of himself, County Council and the Airport Authority to determine how best to approach the possible drilling of natural gas in the county. Onorato says he has been approached by companies already interested in drilling at the airport and on other county-owned land.

The Airport Authority had been seeking bids to drill for natural gas on the property they lease from the county. Onorato put a stop to the bidding because he says the county owns that land, and will take the lead on negotiating drilling contracts as well as determining how the revenue will be used.

Onorato said this is a great opportunity to add revenue to the county, and possibly the airport.

Onorato courts Southwest

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato will travel to Dallas in the next week or two to meet with Southwest Airlines officials to talk about long term plans for expansion in Pittsburgh. Airport Authority Executive Director Brad Penrod is accompanying him. They were to have meet with the company Tuesday but bad weather in Dallas forced flight conciliations and delays so the meeting had to be rescheduled. Onorato says Southwest has gone from an initial 10 flights a day to 27 and he says the company plans to expand but it is unclear when or by how much. He says he wants to talk to company executives about making it as much as possible and as quickly as possible. He says this is not a “courtesy call.” He says discussions have gone well beyond that point. Onorato says there is no doubt that there is room for southwest to grow here.