Preview: Inside Pittsburgh’s New State-of-the-Art Airport Terminal
Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) has replaced the old and welcomed the 21st century.
That’s the strategy behind the ongoing main terminal redevelopment program at Pittsburgh’s once-busy airport. The current airport terminal, which was considered quite revolutionary when it opened in 1992, is a shadow of what it once was, at least in terms of destinations served.
The current structure of Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) was designed primarily for hub operations. At that time, USAir (later renamed US Airways) made Pittsburgh one of its main bases. From PIT, US Airways could fly passengers to cities as far away as Frankfurt and as close as Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
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But US Airways pulled the plug on the airport in 2004, and that hub status “will never come back, never again,” Christina Cassotis, executive director of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, told TPG in an interview. (Today, PIT is served by 15 airlines with 62 nonstop destinations on more than 170 peak-day departures.)
With no future as a hub, PIT has a choice. It can keep its current terminal structure, with its ground and air operations split into two buildings connected by a nearly half-mile-long underground tunnel and passenger services. Or it can innovate and become what airport officials envision as one of the most beautiful and passenger-friendly departure and arrival airports in the country.
PIT chose the latter option, and we are now just about a year away from the opening of the Terminal Modernization Program. (Cassotis told TPG that the official opening is expected in the third quarter of 2025.)
The $1.57 billion TMP project includes a brand new terminal that will serve as a centralized departure and arrival hall, Pennsylvania’s largest single parking lot and much more.
There’s plenty to get excited about, so join TPG on an exclusive tour of TMP and read on to find out what visitors can expect when construction is complete next year.
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Departure and arrival hall
Assuming you’ve been to PIT before, you might be surprised when you arrive at the new departure area.
As you approach the new facility from the road, you will likely be mesmerized by the sparkling new terminal building.
Departing traffic will pull up to the third level of the structure, which has a large overhanging ceiling to protect the drop points from inclement weather. (This part of the TMP reminds me of Kansas City International Airport (MCI) new terminal opens.)
Once dropped off at the terminal, there will be three departure halls. Once inside, airport designers hope passengers will be impressed by the soaring ceilings that are shaped like rolling hills and provide plenty of natural light.
Nature is one of the main design themes of the new terminal (along with technology and community), and it will be on full display as you walk in. Earthy wood tones will cover the ceiling finishes, and the lighting is said to resemble a starry constellation at night.
Additionally, the beams that support the floor to ceiling are designed to resemble trees in a western Pennsylvania forest.
Please note that passengers using the ride-hailing service will be dropped off on Level 1 of the new facility, but there will be an express escalator that will take passengers directly to the check-in counter.
The entire new terminal floor is paved with terrazzo, eliminating the outdated tiles in the existing facility that were not designed to accommodate the needs of rolling suitcases.
While some new airports offer island-style check-in counters (such as Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York City), PIT will continue to apply the traditional counter check-in procedure.
Before reaching security, passengers will pass through the central departures lobby. This airy space spans both the departures and arrivals levels and will be defined by a 1958 sculpture by Alexander Calder that will hang from the ceiling (and was prominently displayed in the old terminal).
Security lanes are being renovated.
If you just passed through PIT in the morning, chances are you’ve already had to wait in line for security. This is because PIT was originally designed as a hub and spoke airport, with most passengers connecting at this facility after going through security.
However, when moving to a point-of-origin and point-of-destination model, PIT cannot meet the need for security lanes.
Fortunately, the new terminal will have a single centralized security area with 11 lanes. This includes Clear, TSA PreCheck, family security, priority security, and general screening.
The screening machines will be the latest models from Analogic (aka slow green machine.)
Once through security, you’ll find a large gathering area to retrieve your belongings (and regain your composure).
Here, you’ll also find floor-to-ceiling windows with outdoor observation decks on each side. Building on the nature theme, PIT plans for a total of four outdoor observation decks: two in the air and two on land.
While there aren’t many scenic views from these decks, they do provide a relaxing getaway from the hustle and bustle of the airport.
Once completed, these decks will be covered with grass, trees and other greenery, Paul Hoback, PIT’s director of development, told TPG.
No more people moving
The current PIT layout with separate buildings in the land and air traffic areas means passengers must travel between facilities by shuttle.
However, a new arrivals and departures hall is being built next to the terminal inside the airport, so instead of taking a shuttle, you’ll just have to walk a short distance through a tunnel (designed to resemble the city’s Fort Pitt Tunnel) to reach the airport’s central artery.
This will certainly shorten the time from curb to gate—by up to 50 percent, according to Hoback—and also increase the amount of space available for concessions and retail. (In fact, PIT was revolutionary when it came to airport shopping. Before 9/11, the airport’s AirMall even attracted non-flying locals.)
So far, PIT has shared a list of 15 new retailers and restaurants opening at the new terminal, with more expected to be announced as leases are finalized closer to opening day.
Come faster
The centralized terminal not only eliminates the need for people to move around at departures, but also speeds up the flow of traffic at arrivals. Passengers then simply walk down a short escalator and straight to the arrivals curb.
According to Hoback, this setup will reduce travel time from the international arrivals area to the curb by 67%.
When PIT sought to design its facility for the community, the airport looked at data that showed that the airport had a large number of greeters (friends and family members who drove to the airport to pick up their loved ones). To serve these greeters and serve as a steward for the local community, the arrivals area would have multiple concession stands and two outdoor decks (similar to the decks in the airport area discussed above).
In the arrivals area, there will be eight baggage claim areas, all connected by a single baggage handling system at the rear of the terminal.
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ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
This upgraded system is designed to move bags much more efficiently than the outdated system PIT is using today.
A completely new parking structure
When PIT was a hub, the airport needed to be optimized to connect passengers who were only stopping in Pittsburgh on their way between two other cities. That meant parking structures for local traffic were largely an afterthought.
With the new PIT, however, parking has become a core principle of the redevelopment project, so much so that, according to Hoback, the new station will be home to the largest parking lot in Pennsylvania.
It will span five floors with 5,000 parking spaces. Car rental companies will be located on the first floor of the facility, eliminating the need to take a shuttle bus to a distant parking lot.
The new structure will be connected to the main terminal by a covered walkway and will have three times the number of covered parking spaces than the existing structures.
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There will be more upgrades to the portal
While the focus is primarily on the departure and arrival experience, modernizing the gate area is also a top priority for Cassotis.
After all, “we didn’t want The Jetsons meets The Flintstones,” Cassotis says.
As part of the TMP project, the airport is renovating some gates, restrooms and waiting areas in the existing terminal.
However, much of the floor plan and layout will remain the same as when US Airways was based there.
Not necessarily bad news, as the airport’s X-shaped layout means you have to walk a short distance to each gate, but once you walk through the new departures hall, the high ceilings give way to a facility designed for a bygone era.
Hopefully PIT will continue to improve the entrance area in the coming years.
The last line
The new Pittsburgh airport terminal couldn’t have come sooner. The airport is showing its age, especially now that it’s been more than 20 years since PIT was a US Airways hub.
From the centralized security area to the high ceilings filled with natural light, this terminal is completely different from the current terminal.
But the new terminal offers more than just a significantly upgraded passenger experience. It also helps kickstart what PIT officials hope will be an era for the facility as one of the nation’s top midsize airports.
PIT has been quite successful in attracting new airlines, most notably British Airways to London And Icelandair to ReykjavikIn addition, last year this airport welcomed nearly 10 million passengers.
Soon, the airport will also have a beautiful new terminal, worthy of being praised by airports across the country. This is the beginning of a new chapter for PIT, and I, for one, cannot wait to see what happens next.
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