Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is ready to introduce the next chapter in the region’s rich aviation legacy – this time, with a modernized, state-of-the-art terminal focused on Pittsburgh and its passengers.

PIT’s new terminal will officially open to the public on Tuesday, Nov. 18, the culmination of more than a decade of planning, preparation and work – and four years of construction. The opening officially ushers in the next era for the region’s travelers and a new front door for Pittsburgh.

“This is a new day for our region. This is an airport built for Pittsburgh, by Pittsburgh. It improves the passenger experience and ensures this region remains on a global stage,” Pittsburgh International Airport CEO Christina Cassotis said. “This terminal is industry-leading from its architecture that reflects our region to amenities like outdoor terraces and a state-of-the-art baggage system to a streamlined security checkpoint.

“The new terminal is emblematic of Pittsburgh’s modern innovation economy.”

The opening announcement comes after the new terminal and systems went through rigorous testing over the past several months, capped off by two large public trials with more than 2,000 participants providing input and feedback on their experience. Overwhelmingly, participants gave the terminal high marks for design and were impressed with the facility.

Test passengers were helpful in identifying ways to improve the experience, such as modifying security stanchion layout, adding more wayfinding and baggage claim adjustments.

Built for the Pittsburgh of today

The new PIT replaces an outmoded terminal built for a different time and purpose as a US Airways hub designed for connecting passengers.

The new terminal caps the airport’s transformation to an origin-and-destination airport – one where passengers begin and end their journey in Pittsburgh – that easily accommodates a diversity of airlines and their business needs.

Passengers can expect immediate benefits including:

• • Faster and more streamlined security experience: The new terminal streamlines the security experience into one, consolidated checkpoint with 12 TSA lanes, compared to seven at the main checkpoint today, and eliminates the need for an alternate checkpoint. The new checkpoint has the latest TSA equipment and automated bin return.
  • Faster baggage delivery: Baggage delivery times are expected to be cut in half.
    The new terminal cuts the eight miles of bag belt down to three miles and upgrades to a more efficient system that is state-of-the-art.
  • New international arrivals experience: International arriving passengers will experience a more efficient and faster arrival, replacing a temporary fix in the old terminal that saw international passengers arrive airside – a relic of the design for US Airways’ connecting passengers.
  • Better, more efficient parking options: With 3,300 spaces, the new Terminal Garage features twice the amount of covered parking and the latest technology, including digital signs with real-time counts of available spaces and green lights to indicate where open spots can be found. PIT also added the Terminal Lot, an approximate five-minute walk to the terminal’s front door. The Shuttle Lot, formerly comprised of the Long Term, Extended and Economy Lots, includes thousands of parking spaces and new, heated shelters with a shuttle tracking system that displays real-time information.
  • Outdoor terraces: A rarity in U.S. airports, the new terminal will have four terraces – two pre-security and two post-security – allowing all passengers the opportunity for fresh air and a calm respite. Still under construction, the terraces will be landscaped with natural Western Pennsylvania landscapes.
  • Welcome Point: Passengers arriving to the transformed terminal will enter PIT’s Welcome Point – a spot for all airport visitors to wait for arriving passengers. This aspect of the terminal is uniquely Pittsburgh, designed for a community that favors welcoming loved ones and guests in-person.
  • Enhanced shopping and dining: Travelers will see 20 new or refreshed concessions as part of the renovated airside terminal experience, including local favorites like Mineo’s and national brands such as Shake Shack and more.
  • Universal access: The new terminal is guided by principles that make travel easier for all by creating services that benefit every passenger – from building design to a user-friendly digital experience.

Parking made easy at the new PIT

The new terminal is designed to bring peace of mind to every passenger, starting with new, on-site parking options that include 6,000 new spaces.

PIT’s transformed terminal is accompanied by its new Terminal Garage, which blends convenience and terminal proximity. With top-level garage parking, which doubles as an observation deck overlooking PIT’s campus, and three floors of covered parking, finding a spot at the new PIT will be faster and easier.

In addition to the new Terminal Garage, PIT also added the Terminal Lot, with an approximate five-minute walk to the terminal’s front door. The Shuttle Lot, formerly the Long Term, Extended and Economy Lots at the old terminal, includes thousands of parking spaces and new, heated shelters with a shuttle tracking system that displays real-time information.

Passengers can save and get the best value by booking in advance at PARKatPIT.com. Pre-booking for the new Terminal Garage, Terminal Lot and Shuttle Lot will open on Friday, Nov. 14.

$2.5 billion in economic impact generated

The $1.7 billion new terminal generated an estimated $2.5 billion in economic impact for the region. More than 14,000 jobs were created and no local taxpayer money was used in the project.

Approximately 90 percent of the workforce that worked on the terminal hailed from the Greater Pittsburgh region and 90 percent of the materials and services were sourced locally. That includes 16,000 tons of structural steel that were fabricated locally.

Crossing into a transformed airport experience

PIT’s new terminal is designed to reflect, connect and serve the community, creating a welcoming experience for every visitor. For Pittsburghers, exiting the Fort Pitt Tunnel to a view of the city’s iconic skyline is an unforgettable experience, one that PIT reflects with the addition of the Skybridge.

Functionally, the terminal Skybridge connects the new landside terminal with the existing airside terminal. It makes for a quicker, more seamless connection from the security checkpoint to the airside terminal. Walking through the Skybridge is akin to journeying through a Pittsburgh street with lighting that mimics the region’s natural landscape, bringing the outside in.

For Pittsburgh passengers, the new airport experience doesn’t end after leaving the Skybridge. Over the past several years, the airside terminal has also undergone renovations, with modernized gate areas, updated and more spacious bathrooms, family restrooms, nursing lounges in each concourse, a plethora of local and national concession options and a new Core area.

Opening the airport Pittsburgh deserves

PIT’s new front door to the region will soon become a piece of the Pittsburgh’s story, a welcome reminder of its bright future and a sure sign that Pittsburgh remains a region on the cutting-edge of innovation.

These are just some of the improvements that will give Pittsburgh the air travel experience it deserves, one developed by the people of the region, for the people of the region.

“You will get a sense of what Pittsburgh is from the minute you land,” Cassotis said. “And I think Pittsburghers will be surprised that there’s as much to brag about and feel proud about, that we can tell other people about.”

Stay tuned – Blue Sky News will capture the momentous Opening Day live, with regular updates posted to our site on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18.