PITTSBURGH – Bryan Dietz, Vice President of Air Service Development for the Allegheny County Airport Authority, has been named to a new working group for the U.S. Department of Transportation on Improving Air Service to Small Communities.
Dietz was one of 25 members selected nationwide for the group. Members come from federal, state and regional agencies, airports, universities and air service providers. The group also includes PennDOT Deputy Secretary for Multimodal Transportation Toby Fauver, and Stan Little, Chairman and CEO of Southern Airways Express, which has been a key provider of new regional air service from Pittsburgh International.
“Access to air service, improving our airports and addressing the nationwide industry challenges are critical to economic growth and prosperity in our communities. I am pleased to represent the Pittsburgh region and fellow airports in this capacity.” Dietz said.
The purpose of the working group is to advise Congress on the needs for air operations in small towns. The statute directs the working group to identify obstacles to attracting and maintaining air service to and from small communities and to develop recommendations for maintaining and improving air service to these communities. The working group must issue a report of their findings and recommendations to congress by July 2017.
Dietz has been working for the Airport Authority for more than six years and is responsible for overseeing the development of passenger and cargo flights from Pittsburgh International Airport.
Working alongside CEO Christina Cassotis and community partners including VisitPittsburgh, the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and the Pittsburgh Technology Council, Dietz attends world-wide industry events and regularly meets with airline route planners, aviation strategists and key decision-makers to address air service needs in the region.
Over the past two years, Dietz and the Air Service Development team have been instrumental in bringing new carriers including Allegiant, Frontier, Porter, OneJet and Southern Airways to Pittsburgh International Airport and increasing the number of nonstop destinations by more than 80 percent - from 37 in 2014 to 68 today. The airport has also experienced a three-year trend of increased passenger traffic as a result of new air service.
About Allegheny County Airport Authority:
Allegheny County Airport Authority, which manages Pittsburgh International Airport and Allegheny County Airport, is committed to increasing air service, improving customer service and inspiring growth in the Pittsburgh region.
Pittsburgh International Airport serves more than 8 million passengers annually on 15 carriers. During the past two years, the airport has increased its nonstop destinations more than 80 percent to include 68 airports. Air Transport World named Pittsburgh International its 2017 Airport of the Year. Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast both named Pittsburgh International a Top 10 Domestic Airport in 2016. In addition, TripAdvisor ranked Pittsburgh International Airport a Travelers’ Choice Favorite for Shopping in 2016.
AIRPORT AUTHORITY VICE PRESIDENT OF AIR SERVICE DEVELOPMENT APPOINTED TO U.S. DOT WORKING GROUP
