Westmoreland County officials hope a stronger Spirit Airlines will emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and be able to reverse a reduction in the commercial carrier’s flights at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport.

With that in mind, the county Airport Authority is restoring the reservation desk staff it had reduced at the Unity Airport. But with Spirit providing the only commercial service there, the authority is also continuing its efforts to attract another airline.

Meanwhile, officials say the authority is committed to moving forward with a $22 million expansion of the airport terminal.

“I think we knew this was going to happen for some time,” Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo said of Spirit’s Monday announcement that it was filing for bankruptcy. “It was just a matter of time.”

The budget airline has lost more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020 and faces debt payments totaling more than $1 billion in 2025 and 2026.

While trying to recover from the airline crisis during the covid-19 pandemic, Spirit suffered a setback earlier this year, when a court decision blocked its proposed purchase by JetBlue.

Spirit did not immediately respond to TribLive’s questions Monday about its plans at Unity Airport, but Monzo noted that the airline said it intends to continue “business as usual.” during the Chapter 11 process, including flights and ticket sales.

“I hope they get through this and come out even better,” Monzo said of the airline’s Chapter 11 decision.

Citing a restricted flight schedule, he said, the airport recently reduced its reservations desk staff from four people to two. Now, he said, four reservation agents will again be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays, anticipating a hoped-for resurgence in flights next spring.

“We take the initiative and make sure we have the reserves to take care of it,” Monzo said.

He said Spirit has not released its flight schedule for February, but typically adds trips from the airport to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, during the spring season.

“It happened as early as May and as early as the end of February,” he said of the added destination.

Sean Kertes, chairman of the Westmoreland commissioners, echoed the hope that the airport will be in a stronger position once Spirit emerges from bankruptcy.

“It’s always a waiting situation with the airlines,” Kertes said.

After Spirit began service at the airport in February 2011, annual passenger numbers increased from about 64,000 to a peak of nearly 356,000 in 2015. Passenger numbers fell back to about 123,500 in 2020 , the first year of the pandemic, and has fluctuated since then. .

Last year, nearly 150,500 Spirit passengers passed through the terminal. Monzo expects the number to be similar this year, having reached around 128,000 by the end of October.

At one time, Spirit offered scheduled flights to several destinations in Florida, briefly adding a nonstop trip to Las Vegas. Orlando, Florida, remained the primary destination, although the number of flights was reduced to just one per day.

The opening hours of the reservation office have been reduced from the previous schedule of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Courting other carriers

The Westmoreland County Airport Authority continues to want to attract other airlines to Palmer Airport, Monzo said, although no such deal has materialized over the years.

While declining to disclose details, Monzo said low-cost commercial carriers the authority has been in contact with include JetBlue, Texas-based Avelo Airlines, Utah-based Breeze Airways and Southern Airways Express. , headquartered in Palm Beach, Florida. , and specializes in commuter service.

“Talking to other airlines, this is the backup plan,” Monzo said. “I will talk to any airline willing to talk to us.”

In addition to destinations in Florida, Spirit offers flights to New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles from Pittsburgh International Airport, which is just over 60 miles from Palmer Airport by car.

Because it is near the Pittsburgh region’s primary air traffic center, Palmer Airport is not eligible for the federal Essential Air Service program. This program generally subsidizes between two and four daily round trips by 19-seat plane to a major airport.

“I don’t think it’s a liability,” Monzo said of the lack of EAS eligibility on the Unity site. “It’s a choice that airlines have to make.

“We get 150,000 people who want to go somewhere. We just need to find the niche that suits us.

Progress in terminal upgrade

The first phase of the terminal modernization – expanding the building envelope and its Transportation Security Administration screening space – began on October 28. While demolishing a vacant hangar that was in the way, crews discovered an abandoned fuel tank that will also need to be removed.

The terminal project will ultimately expand the terminal’s baggage claim area, relocate hold rooms and airport authority offices, create a new concession area and passenger boarding bridge, renovate the existing bridge and will upgrade the sanitary facilities and HVAC system.

The county invested $4 for the terminal project. That’s in addition to the county’s infusion of more than $2.6 million in 2024 to help cover the authority’s annual operating costs for Palmer Airport and the smaller Rostraver Airport, as well than the organization’s existing debt service.

So far this year, the authority has taken in about $5.3 million in revenue from Palmer Airport and incurred expenses totaling about $4.9 million.

Monzo said Spirit’s bankruptcy had not changed plans to proceed with the terminal upgrade.

“It’s a 25-year-old building,” he said. “We have to renovate it, no matter what.” »

The extension is designed to provide two TSA screening lines, instead of just one.

“That’s probably the most important thing: getting the screening under control,” he said, noting that TSA officials have found the screening process to be lacking during the pandemic.