PITTSBURGH —
US Airways’ round-trip fare from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia will jump nearly 500 percent early next year once Southwest Airlines drops its nonstop service between the two cities.
The nonrefundable round trip fare, not including taxes and fees, is now $118, but will jump to $698 after Southwest ends its service on Jan. 8, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Tuesday.
Airline analyst Michael Boyd, president of Boyd Group International in Evergreen, Colo., told the newspaper he’s not surprised.
“That’s what happens when you have less competition,” said Boyd, who had predicted the fare hike.
Pittsburgh International Airport spokeswoman JoAnn Jenny said Southwest couldn’t afford to operate the flights, which Boyd said were about half-full. US Airways flights on the route have been about three-quarters full.
“We had asked the community to support those Southwest flights, but passengers weren’t choosing them,” Jenny said. “The company could not afford to keep operating.”
Boyd said, “Southwest was dying on that route.”
US Airways spokeswoman Valerie Wunder said federal regulations limit what she can say about pricing policies but that the airline tries “to set fares based on what we think the market will bear.”
Travelers willing to fly through airports in Detroit or Washington, D.C., will still be able to get fares under $200 – but with travel times of four to six hours, counting layovers. That means it will likely make sense for many frequent travelers to drive the 300 miles between the cities.
The newspaper said another option offered through the Orbitz travel Web site couples a flight from Pittsburgh to Newark, N.J., with Amtrak train service to Philadelphia for $117, excluding taxes and fees.
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