A peek: Inside Pittsburgh’s new state-of-the-art terminal

It’s out of the old and into the 21st century at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT).

That’s the plan behind a major terminal development plan underway at Pittsburgh’s once-busy airport. The existing airport terminal, which was initially considered the best of the reforms when it opened in 1992, is a shadow of what it was, at least, in terms of facilities.

The current Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) building was designed primarily for hub operations. During that time, USAir (later renamed US Airways) made Pittsburgh one of its major bases. From PIT, US Airways can fly passengers to cities as far away as Frankfurt and nearby Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

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But US Airways left the airport in 2004, and that status of the facility “will never come back,” Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, told TPG in an interview. (These days, PIT is offered on 15 flights with 62 non-stops on trips over 170 days.)

With no future as a hub, PIT had a choice. It could keep its existing terminal building with ground and air operations separated between two buildings connected by a nearly half-mile underground tunnel and a people mover. Or, it could establish and become what airport officials consider to be one of the best origin and destination airports in the country.

PIT chose the latter, and it is now almost a year away from the launch of the Modern Terminal Operating System. (Cassotis told TPG he expects an official opening in the third quarter of 2025.)

The $1.57 billion TMP project includes a new main building that will serve as a central departure and arrival hub, the largest parking structure in Pennsylvania and much more.

There’s a lot for travelers to be excited about, so join TPG for a special TMP tour and learn about what travelers can expect when work wraps up next year.

The central departure hall is the arrivals hall

If you think you’ve been to a PIT before, you’ll probably do a double take when you arrive at a new departure point.

As you approach the new area from the streets, your eyes will be dazzled by the shiny new building.

Departing traffic will rise to the third level of the building, which has a large high roof to protect descents in inclement weather. (This part of TMP reminds me of the recently opened Kansas City International Airport (MCI) terminal.)

After being dropped off at the terminal, there will be three departure gates. Once inside, the airport’s designers hope passengers will be impressed by the high interior roofs that are shaped like hills and provide plenty of natural light.

Nature is one of the main design themes of the new terminal (along with technology and society), and it will be on full display once you enter. Earthy wood tones will cover the finish of the ceiling, and the lights will resemble a starry constellation at night.

In addition, the floor-to-ceiling support beams are designed to resemble trees from a western Pennsylvania forest.

Note that passengers using boarding facilities will be dropped off at Level 1 of the new facility, but there will be escalators leading directly to passengers to enter.

All the floors are in a new terminal terrazzo, eliminating the outdated tiling in an existing area that was not designed for the popularity of rollaboard bags.

While some new airports offer island-style check-in counters (such as Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York City), PIT will stick to a counter-style check-in setup.

Before going to security, passengers will pass through the central atrium of the departure hall. This airy space covers both the departure and arrival levels and will be distinguished by a 1958 sculpture by Alexander Calder that will hang from the ceiling (and is often prominently displayed in the old terminal).

Advanced security measures

If you just went through the PIT this morning, you may have waited in the security line. That’s because PIT was originally designed as a hub-and-spoke airport, with multiple passengers connecting to a security terminal in the back.

However, by switching to an origin and destination model, PIT could not keep up with the need for security routes.

Fortunately, the new terminal will have a single security area with 11 lanes. These include express, TSA PreCheck, family security, priority security and general screening.

The test machines will be the latest models from Analogic (aka the famous blue machines.)

After clearing security, you’ll find a large regrouping area to restore your belongings (and peace of mind).

Here, you’ll also see floor-to-ceiling glass windows with outdoor viewing decks on each side. Building on the nature theme, PIT has plans for four complete outdoor viewing areas: two in the air and two on land.

While there won’t be much in the way of views from these decks, they should provide a relaxing retreat from the hustle and bustle of the airport itself.

Paul Hoback, PIT’s chief development officer, told TPG that once completed, the floors will be covered with grass, trees and other greenery.

No more people moving

PIT’s existing structure with separate landside and airside facilities means that passengers need to pick up people traveling between facilities.

However, a new departure and arrival hall was built next to the air terminal. So, instead of taking a people mover, it will be just a short walk through a tunnel (designed to resemble the city’s Fort Pitt Tunnel) to get to the airport’s central artery.

This will undoubtedly speed up curb-to-gate travel times — by as much as 50%, according to Hoback — and help increase available space for shoppers and stores. (In fact, PIT was once revolutionary when it came to shopping in the air. Before 9/11, the airport’s AirMall would attract locals who didn’t fly.)

So far, PIT has shared a list of 15 new retailers and restaurants opening at the new terminal. More names are expected to be announced as leasing is finalized closer to the grand opening.

Fast arrival

A central terminal not only eliminates pedestrians, but also speeds up the flow of arrival traffic. Moving forward, passengers will simply go down a short escalator and go directly to the landing strip.

According to Hoback, this setup will reduce the time it takes from immigration to immigration by 67%.

As PIT tried to design the facility for its community, the airport looked at data that showed it had a large number of meet and greets (friends and family members driving to the airport to pick up their loved ones). To accommodate these images and be a host to the locals, the landing area will have various concessions and two outdoor decks (similar to the ones on the windward side mentioned above).

On the arrivals level, there will be eight baggage claims, all linked by a single baggage transfer system at the back of the house.

This improved system is designed to move bags more efficiently than the outdated one used by PIT today.

New parking structure

While PIT was a hub, the airport needed to be developed to connect travelers who stopped in Pittsburgh on their way between the two other cities. That meant local parking structures were an afterthought.

However, with the new PIT, parking has become the cornerstone of the development project, so much so that, according to Hoback, the new terminal will be home to the largest parking structure in Pennsylvania.

It will span five levels with 5,000 spaces. Car rental companies will be stationed on the first floor of the facility, which will eliminate the need to take a bus to a remote location.

The new building will be connected to the main terminal via a covered walkway, and will include three times the number of covered parking spaces compared to the existing buildings.

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More improvements are coming to the gates

While the main focus is on departures and arrivals, modernizing the gate areas is also a priority for Cassotis.

After all, “we don’t want the Jetsons meeting the Flintstones,” Cassotis said.

As part of the TMP project, the airport is renovating some of the gates, restrooms and lounges at the existing facility.

That said, much of the flooring and layout will remain the same as it was when US Airways was based there.

That’s not necessarily bad news as the X-shaped airport makes it a short walk to either gate. But once you pass through the new lobby, the high ceiling will fit into the space designed for the past era.

I hope that PIT will continue to improve the gate areas in the coming years.

Bottom line

Pittsburgh’s new airport can’t come soon enough. The airport is showing its age, especially now that it has been more than 20 years since PIT was a US Airways hub.

From the central security area to the soaring ceilings that flood the facility with tons of natural light, this terminal is a night-and-day difference from the existing one.

But the new terminal doesn’t just bring a vastly improved passenger experience. It also helps usher in what PIT officials hope will be an era for the facility to become one of the best airlines in the country.

PIT has already been very successful in attracting new airlines, especially British Airways to London and Icelandair to Reykjavik. In addition, it processed 10 million passengers last year.

Soon, it will also have a sleek, new terminal worthy of praise at airports across the country. It’s the beginning of a new chapter for PIT, and I, for one, can’t wait to see what’s next.

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