Editorial: The region's airports could fare well as post-pandemic air travel rises

Air travel is getting off the ground again.

A year of coronavirus pandemic restrictions and precautions made airports into ghost towns. The 777.9 million people annually who had been taking off their shoes and separating their laptops from their carry-ons at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints slowed to a trickle.

On April 2, 2020, 130,000 were putting their seats and tray tables in the upright position nationwide — just 5.6% of the 2.4 million that had been flying the same day in 2019.

Protecting the airline industry was a big part of the federal CARES Act passed in March 2020 as airports became parking lots for most passenger jets. It was easy to wonder if people would ever get back to complaining about lost luggage and tight leg space.

But this April 2, the traffic bounced back to 1.6 million people, more than 10 times the previous year’s low. The question that remains is whether that will just be about the major hubs — or if air travel will be coming back at smaller airports, too.

For Pittsburgh International Airport, things are looking good. Passengers were actually up by a higher percentage at PIT — 14 times the 2020 numbers.

At Latrobe’s Arnold Palmer Regional, the traffic is coming back, although it isn’t yet at 2019 numbers.

“The pandemic has had a devastating effect on all of us,” said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority. “The increase in (passenger) service is a welcome change, and it’s a direct result of the hard work of our staff.”

The commitment and dedication of the airline and airport employees are important, but the group that is most important in getting the business to take off can’t be underestimated. It’s the passengers.

The planes can be shiny and full of fuel. The flight attendants can have the safety speech down and the drink cart ready. The pilots can be ready to pull onto the runway. But if the people aren’t willing to go, the industry and the airports aren’t going anywhere. So much depends on consumer confidence with a vaccinated population on its way to immunity.

What might be best for everyone is if we think less about the Las Vegas and Miami kind of vacations and more about the smaller destinations. Visiting the grandkids in Tennessee. Going to Myrtle Beach instead of Orlando. Taking a trip to a more personal location, using a smaller airport and heading for less populated areas could be a great way of jumping out of the nest.

It can also support areas that need more of a boost. It also allows the tourism and travel industries to stagger back toward normalcy while still being thoughtful about distancing in a pandemic that is definitely not over yet.

In the end, maybe this can push toward a brighter future. Pittsburgh International’s long-planned $1 billion revamp, stalled by the pandemic, is getting in gear and was noted by President Biden when he visited the area in March to deliver his infrastructure address. Arnold Palmer Airport has been working on expanding its passenger traffic — widening the runway, enlarging the passenger holding area, investing in a second boarding bridge. It’s well-positioned as air traffic shifts to smaller regional airports post-pandemic.

The potential for business and pleasure travel is there. It just needs a chance to soar.