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Passenger Traffic Lifts Off at Pittsburgh Airport
PITTSBURGH -- Big gains in passenger travel last month by airlines other than US Airways were not enough to offset a 19.9% overall drop in passengers passing through Pittsburgh International Airport.US Airways, still the dominant airline at what was its Pittsburgh hub, posted a 39.4% drop in passenger traffic during May compared to May 2004, the airport reported Tuesday. Delta also posted a drop in passengers last month, down 1.7%.Since US Airways declared bankruptcy in 2002 for the second time, it has cut hundreds of flights originating from Pittsburgh and thousands of jobs. The airline remains the largest carrier at the airport -- it transported 570,168 passengers to and from the airport in May -- but its dominance continues to shrink. In April 2004, US Airways accounted for 63.6% of Pittsburgh passenger traffic, the airport reported. But by May of this year, its share had fallen to 59.7%.Southwest Airlines, which began service May 4 with 10 daily flights to Chicago, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and Orlando, debuted in fourth place among the busiest airlines at the airport, according to the Allegheny County Airport Authority. Southwest carried 57,260 passengers in May; United carried 60,931 and Delta 65,228.Comparing May 2005 with May 2004, airlines other than US Airways had a total passenger count of 384,848, a 53.4% increase over last May's count of 250,583, the airport said. "The report confirms that Pittsburgh International Airport is making a successful transition to an origination and destination airport," said Kent G. George, executive director of the airport authority. "The competition and the lower fares are stimulating the local traffic." Airlines reporting passenger increases during May include United, up 90.8%; America West, up 88.2%; USA3000, up 58.4%, Continental, up 46.9%; AirTran, up 34.9%; Northwest, up 26.8%; American, up 4.5%, and Air Canada, up 3%.A total of 955,016 passengers passed through the airport last month. "