Jet service to Erie International Airport will end Jan. 5 as US Airways continues to retrench in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The airline plans to continue to serve Erie with turboprop aircraft operated by one of the airline's US Airways Express commuter subsidiaries. The new regional jet service introduced at Erie earlier this year is also due to be withdrawn, according to an airline spokesman.

US Airways corporate spokesman David Castelveter said the company plans to "significantly" increase the number of daily turboprop commuter flights between Erie and the US Airways hub in Pittsburgh to try to offset the loss of jet service.

There was some confusion Thursday about whether regional jet service might remain. Local legislators were told earlier in the day that regional jet service would remain.

But at the end of the day, Castelveter left no doubt that as of right now, US Airways plans to end all jet service between Pittsburgh and Erie. "You will be getting an all turboprop fleet. The size and number is still to be determined, but it will be an all turboprop fleet," he said.

Local business and community leaders described the announced loss of jet service as the second major shock to hit Erie and the Erie economy this week.

The word came only two days after International Paper Co. announced it would shut down its Erie plant and furlough the plant's 760 workers by mid-2002.

Some business leaders believe the loss of jet service - and the still-possible loss of all commercial air service - is as serious as the loss of International Paper.

"As bad as IP is, we really have to get our focus on the airport," said Erie Area Chamber of Commerce President Robert Spaulding.

"There are companies in this town that absolutely need to have first class air service," Spaulding said. "They (companies) are going to have a decision to make, and that decision is 'Can we be an effective competitor with the rest of the world from Erie, Pa.?'" He said top quality air service is a significant factor when a company makes that decision.

"It might not happen overnight," Spaulding said, "But if we don't have first-rate air service, we will not only have a hard time holding onto the businesses that are here, we will have an extraordinarily difficult time bringing new business into this community."

"It (the loss of jet service) has significant meaning in that it reduces our ability as a community ... to access effective air service to and from our hometown," said Ralph Pontillo, president of the Manufacturer's Association of Northwest Pennsylvania.

An emergency meeting about the issue has been scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 24, at the Manufacturer's Association offices at 2171 W. 38th St. The same community and government leaders who attended a community response forum Tuesday to discuss the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have been invited to this emergency meeting.

Word on the cutbacks hit hard at Erie International Airport.

"This is not exactly the news I wanted to hear on my second anniversary," said Erie International Airport Director Kelly Fredericks, who took over the top administrative job at the airport two years ago Thursday.

Fredericks said the announcement will mean major changes at Erie International, but that airport officials will have to wait until they get more definite information from the airline before they can map a plan of action.

"We are not giving up the ship. This is not the end of the world," Fredericks said. But he added the announcement changes many of the dynamics at Erie International.

The airport does not yet know which US Airways Express subsidiary will be operating here, how many flights it will have, or what specific types of planes it will be flying. Those factors will make a difference in everything from the airline's space requirements, to fuel sales and landing fees. "We will have to start doing our budget around this," Fredericks said. The airport's contract is with US Airways, and that now might have to be renegotiated with the commuter subsidiary that takes over operations.

US Airways has 33 full-time and part-time employees in Erie, and they received word of the decision shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday. All of those jobs will be leaving Erie.

Those who hold the jobs are represented by labor unions and should have "bumping" rights in the US Airways system. There was no word Thursday if current employees could or would transfer to the new commuter operations.

Airport officials previously raised the possibility that Erie could lose commercial air service because of the impact of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Fredericks has repeatedly told the community that enhanced security requirements mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration could break the airport's budget, or it could make it too expensive for airlines to operate here. Airlines pick up 80 percent of airport security costs.

Before Sept. 11, Erie was connected to Pittsburgh by six jet flights a day - four flights by full-sized Fokker 100s and two flights by Embraer regional jets.

The Fokkers carry about 100 passengers and the regional jets about 50. The turboprop planes carry about 30 passengers.

Also Mesaba/Northwest Airlink ran six round trips a day to the Northwest Airlines hub in Detroit with 34-passenger Saab commuters.

As airlines cut service and furloughed workers to deal with the post-Sept.11 aviation slowdown, Mesaba cut back to four flights a day and US Airways cut back to five - four big jets and one regional jet.

Ironically, the word of the elimination of jet service came just as US Airways decided to restore the full six-flight-a-day schedule for the busy December travel season.