Westmoreland airport contemplates future as airline merger looms
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Local leaders insist they don’t know what the future holds for Arnold Palmer Regional Airport amid fears the Unity facility’s lone carrier could pull up stakes pending the outcome of a proposed airline merger.
“We don’t have a plan,” said Westmoreland County Airport Authority board member Richard Ridilla. “No one is talking, and nobody is in an expansion mode.”
Spirit Airlines has operated flights from the airport since 2011, at its height offering flights to multiple destinations in Florida and elsewhere.
But earlier this year, the airline scaled back its service and now offers just one daily flight to Orlando and seasonal flights to Myrtle Beach. The seasonal route ends next week but is expected to resume in the spring, officials said.
The service cuts come as Spirit awaits a final ruling on the proposed $3.8 billion merger with JetBlue, which is being challenged by the federal government. A trial on the government’s claim the merger violates federal antitrust provisions is ongoing in Boston. A decision could come before the end of the year.
That court ruling could have an impact on the future at the local airport and Spirit’s continued operation in Westmoreland County, said Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo.
“The best-case scenario is Spirit opens up four cities out of here. That would be great,” Monzo said. “The worst-case scenario is it dries up and never comes back.”
The airport operates with a staff of 24 full-time and about 40 part-time workers. If Spirit pulls out the Unity facility, the full-time staff will be converted to part-timers and handle work associated with about two dozen charter flights and private air service at the airport. The remaining staff would be subject to layoffs, Monzo said.
Efforts to find additional carriers to supplement or replace Spirit have been unsuccessful.
“We’re at the bottom of the picking list because our market area is small,” Monzo said. “It bothers me that no one will compete with Spirit.”
Monzo said talks with other low-cost carriers have been unproductive. The expectation is the market is awaiting a court decision regarding the Spirit-JetBlue merger before any serious discussions can be had on adding flights at the Westmoreland airport.
Meanwhile, officials are moving forward with a $22 million airport terminal expansion project that is expected to begin early next year, an effort Monzo and airport authority board members insist will help attract service.
Aviation industry analyst William S. Swelbar said the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport isn’t alone in its struggles.
“The fact that it has held on to two services is testament that a market exists,” Swelbar said. “But small markets that lie in the shadow of a larger market have been losing services one route at a time. And if the economics stay where they are and what the immediate trends suggest, there is likely more fallout on the way.”
While the Westmoreland airport has had service cuts, Pittsburgh International Airport has added routes from discount fliers Breeze Airways and Frontier Airlines. Monzo said Westmoreland officials have reached out to both carriers but have not had any fruitful conversations with either.
Swelbar said once the Spirit-JetBlue merger is resolved, airports such as Westmoreland’s will have a marketing opportunity.
“There will be options to replace Spirit should it exit by choice or as a result of the merger,” Swelbar said. “But the ultra-low-cost carrier sector of the industry of which Spirit is considered a part is struggling the most today. Sadly, it is about economics that are structural.
“Any service typically has to prove its financial viability. That viability test though will likely be a harder one given the direction of costs in the industry today.”