2005 AIRPORT TRAFFIC REPORT

February 09, 2006

2005 PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TRAFFIC REPORT

• AIRLINES OTHER THAN US AIRWAYS REPORT 35.7 PERCENT INCREASE
• 10 AIRLINES REPORT PERCENT GROWTH

PITTSBURGH, PA (February 9, 2006) - Airlines other than US Airways at Pittsburgh International Airport (www.FlyPittsburgh.com) reported a combined 35.7 percent increase in passengers in 2005 compared to 2004 according to the scheduled airline traffic report issued by the Allegheny County Airport Authority. Ten airlines operating at the airport showed increased passenger traffic, eight of which reported growth in excess of 15 percent.

“Airlines other than US Airways account for more than 40 percent of the traffic at Pittsburgh International Airport," Allegheny County Airport Authority Executive Director Kent G. George said. "The positive outcome of this is that airfares are decreasing and the residents of the region are able to enjoy inexpensive travel with many choices of carriers. Those options were unheard of here five years ago."

Southwest Airlines started service in Pittsburgh in May and quickly became the airport’s fourth busiest carrier in 2005 with a total of 571,666 passengers. Hooters Air also began service at the airport in 2005. The airline, which flies only to Myrtle Beach, S.C., reported a total of 15,901 passengers from February through December.

In a year-to-year comparison, eight airlines, led by Midwest Connect, showed remarkable gains in passenger traffic.

For December 2005, six airlines showed an increase compared to December 2004 led by Midwest Connect’s (6,408/2,700; 137.3 percent increase). Combined, all airlines other than US Airways reported a 23.8 increase in traffic in December 2005 compared to December 2004 (365,942/295,510).

A total of 776,083 scheduled passengers were enplaned and deplaned at Pittsburgh International Airport in December 2005, which brings the yearly total to 10,440,500. That translates to a 21.1 percent drop in passenger traffic for 2005 from 2004 (10,440,500/13,229,974). Compared to December 2004, passenger traffic was down 6 percent for the month (776,083/825,461).

“The Airport Authority had been forecasting this drop for most of this year. US Airways dramatically adjusted service at Pittsburgh International Airport in November 2004. As a result, year-to-year comparisons of our passenger totals have been negatively impacted,” explained George.

US Airways reported a 22.6 percent decrease for December 2005 (410,141/529,951). Those statistics, however, do not include America West, which merged with US Airways in the fall of 2005. America West showed an 83.9 percent increase in December 2005 compared to December 2004 (12,814/6,967). US Airways and America West have continued to report separate traffic figures. For 2005 US Airways showed 38.8 percent drop in traffic compared to 2004 (6,162,098/10,076,182).