Blue skies for US Airways?

What a difference a few weeks can make.

Fourteen days ago, area travelers were sweating out the countdown to CHAOS, as US Airways and its flight attendants stared stonily at each other across the bargaining table, with apocalyptic visions of strikes and shutdowns filling the headlines.

It was well past the midnight hour before a deal was struck, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, looking forward to a resumption of business as usual at US Airways.

Then, in an attempt to recapture the traveling public's confidence and commerce, the airline unveiled a host of attractive fares for travel through the summer, on a space-available basis, of course. And this week, with the announcement that US Airways has been granted rights to begin direct nonstop flights from Pittsburgh to London's Gatwick Airport, in effect assuming the route British Airways dropped last November, area transportation prospects began to look rosy again. Incidentally, the first departure is scheduled for July 17 at 4:35 p.m., arriving at 5:05 the next morning.

Then on Wednesday with symbolic timing, a US Airways A330 wide-body jet touched down here, the first in the series of 30 new, 261-passenger planes upon which the airline is staking its trans-Atlantic service.

Even the price of US Airways stock, which has suffered a slow and steady decline for the past two years, has seen some recent resurgence. But until fuel prices fall, potential investors might be wise to avoid "irrational exuberance."

For despite blue-sky forecasts, there's plenty of clear air turbulence lurking out there. Area travelers certainly should be enthusiastic about again having direct, nonstop access to England. Yet, while the time-savings and convenience factor are significant, will area travelers have to pay a steep premium for the benefits?

In a few months, will this paper be reporting on how passengers from other US Airways markets who make London connections here in Pittsburgh actually pay lower air fares than we do? There's certainly a precedent for that tactic.

Or will we be able to reassure our readers that they're being treated fairly fare-wise, and there's no need to drive to Cleveland to get a reasonably priced ticket?

And while it's great to be getting a nonstop connection to England, what will the in-flight service standards be on that flight? Will they compare with those British Airways provided on its daily flight? Or will they be more infused with the sardine-style seating and cavalier cabin care that has typified too many US Airways domestic flights of late? Will food service be begrudging and on-ground assistance hard to locate?

What about those flight attendants? Two weeks ago, they were ready to walk out over a contract which, though now approved by union leadership, is still a month away from ratification by its members. While preliminary indications are that will happen, as noted union observer Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over till it's over."

Even if every flight attendant agrees to the contract, will they remember their commitments to provide quality passenger service, or will they be embittered and emboldened by residual militancy against their employer?

And will the nation's airlines, US Airways among them, remember the 12-point commitments they announced last October to address some egregious problems across a wide range of customer service concerns, from making reservations and buying tickets to keeping them informed, fed and watered during in-transit delays?

Concerned about the rising tide of consumer complaints, Congress has been considering the re-imposition of regulations more closely governing the way domestic airlines operate and the service standards they provide. The Department of Transportation is even collecting and monitoring complaints. (Passengers can call 202-366-2220 or file their complaints on-line at http://www.dot.gov/airconsumer/ problems.htm.)

It will be interesting to see whether these efforts generate tangible improvements for passengers. Even if all these pitfalls are avoided and grievances addressed, there's that sticky issue of being a one-airline town. It's clear that familiarity breeds contempt.

In addition to the thousands of US Airways employees who live in the area and value their jobs, many travelers appreciate the variety of flight options and other benefits that Pittsburgh derives from being a "fortress" hub.

Judging, however, by the steady flow of the letters this newspaper has received from US Airways customers with complaints about its service and prices, there's plenty of enmity out there as well. And that was before those anxiety-filled weeks of labor negotiations, which used as pawns paying passengers who had few other flight options.

Travel managers who represent local businesses and major corporations are increasingly expressing their frustration at the huge prices their employees must pay for flights in and out of Pittsburgh. They object to the "take it or leave it attitude" they sense from US Airways. Some are even rumbling about marshaling their collective energies into a passenger bargaining and rights organization. As political leaders ponder the issue of an airport authority, they'd be wise to figure the plight of area passengers into their thinking.

Then there's the travel agent community. They're reeling under continual cuts in the commissions they're paid for booking airline tickets and constant encroachment by well-financed, on-line competitors. But they still book and manage the majority of trips out of the area. They're understandably confused by an airline that undercuts their importance at every opportunity, yet turns to them for support and understanding when the labor going gets rocky.

It's true that, for both better and worse, we have cast our transportation fortunes with the international airline we once called Allegheny. But what happens when we get the news that its major investors have convinced its board of directors that it makes more financial sense to merge with than to fight the competition? Will we still enjoy satisfactory schedules with more than 500 daily, nonstop departures? Or will our beautiful, award-winning airport wither from lack of use? How many people will drive that far to shop in a mall if they're not also catching a plane?

And even if US Airways survives the inevitable agglomeration of airlines, will flying on their planes be a comfortable, reliable pleasure or will we get off their planes feeling gouged, crammed, taken, dreading the next time we have to take a trip.

Time will tell.