There has just been a study on the effect of Low Cost Carriers entering a market, in this case, Pittsburgh, and it shows that:

Fares in Pittsburgh dropped 27%, while the airport reported 360,000 additional passengers per year for a total economic impact of $1.8 billion, according to the study, written by Wilbur Smith Associates (WSA). Pittsburgh’s LCCs include AirTran, JetBlue, Southwest and USA3000.

In 2000, the average one-way fare to all destinations was nearly $192, one of the highest in the nation, said the report. “The expansion of low-fare service at Pittsburgh lowered this figure dramatically,” it said. “The average one-way fare decreased by 27% to $140 from 2000 to 2006, and fares to Pittsburgh’s top 15 destinations dropped 32% to $120.”

The people managing airports in Atlanta, Denver, and ESPECIALLY Dallas-Fort Worth, please take note. Being the bitch of the dominant airport in a region hurts air travel and the local economy.