How PIT Transformed Its Concessions Program to Meet Travelers’ Changing Needs

These days, Pittsburgh International Airport gets recognition from the aviation and the broader business worlds for innovations such as its microgrid, Presley’s Place sensory room, the xBridge tech innovation center, the on-site childcare center and, of course, the state-of-the-art landside terminal opening this fall.

But the shopping and travel world knew PIT deserved special attention long ago, thanks to its innovative concessions program.

In 1992, the then-new Pittsburgh International Airport terminal dazzled with the first “airmall,” an in-terminal shopping emporium lined with about 100 restaurants and retail outlets, including national brands such as the PGA Tour Shop, The Nature Company, Waterstones and The Body Shop. Even better, the mall had a street-pricing policy – still in effect – assuring shoppers that the prices charged at the airport would mirror those in town.

Millions of passengers connecting at what was then a US Airways hub happily opened their wallets to take advantage of Pennsylvania’s exemption of sales tax on clothing and shoes. Locals loved that the airmall was dotted with the region’s first outposts of many national brands.

“There were a lot of opportunities to spend,” said Jeff Martinelli, who was then PIT’s Public Affairs Manager. “One holiday season ‘Good Morning America’ even did a segment on buying Christmas gifts at the airmall and later the show’s hosts, Kelly Rippa and Regis Philbin, went on and on about how great the shopping was at Pittsburgh International Airport.”

Since then, PIT’s passenger profile has changed. Instead of transferring at PIT, most passengers now begin or end their trips there, with departing passengers often arriving at the airport at least two hours before their flights.

“That means travelers have more time to shop, drink and dine here,” said Bryan Dietz, Senior Vice President of Air Service and Commercial Development at PIT, with some passengers arriving as early as 4 a.m. to catch a flight. “The whole life cycle of this airport has changed. And that means we have had to change our program as well.”

PIT switched from a third-party concession developer to a program managed entirely in-house. That has allowed the PIT team to work directly with many new-to-the-airport brands and to curate an updated and expanded mix of national, global and local food, drink and retail concessions for the new landside terminal and for the renovated airside terminal.

Finding and keeping the right mix is more of an art than a science, according to Dietz. He said that in addition to conducting frequent in-terminal passenger surveys, the PIT team studies a lot of data to determine both what travelers say they want and what they may need when they’re at the airport.

That is how national retailers such as Shake Shack, Jimmy John’s, Chick-fil-A, Bad Egg, men’s clothing boutique Hammer Made and TUMI travel gear entered the PIT concessions mix.

“But we also want our food, beverage and retail program to reflect the new restaurant scene, the new tech scene and the vibrancy that’s happening in Pittsburgh,” said Dietz.

New additions such as Duquesne Supply Co, which stocks local artisan-made wares; Champion City Sports, which offers gear and memorabilia from multiple Pittsburgh area sports teams; and soon-to-open local coffee and tea houses Café Conmigo and Convive Coffee are helping PIT meet those goals. They join existing and refreshed local businesses such as Sarris Candies, Primanti Bros., Marathon Diner and Wigle Whiskey.

READ MORE: Duquesne Supply Co. Provides Local Lift to PIT’s Retail Row and to Makers

Adding local brands to well-known national outlets “to give passengers a sense of place and let them know they are at a unique local destination” is a trend airports have successfully embraced, said Philippe Villard, Vice-President of Economic Affairs and Policy at airport membership organization, ACI-NA.

But for local businesses, the process can be complex. Villard says while some local businesses branch out into airports on their own and do a fantastic job, others do it through partnerships with national concession operators.

At PIT, getting more local favorites into the mix is a combination of existing concession partners approaching those brands to fill a dining or shopping void and local businesses approaching the airport in response to requests for proposals. Either way, “we always want to make sure we’re setting up our business partners for success,” said Dietz.

To that end, the team works with local brands to make sure they understand the unique challenges and risks of operating at an airport, which include, for example, serving meals and drinks quickly to accommodate travelers with planes to catch and having enough staff available to open very early in the morning because 1 in 3 of PIT’s passengers arrive at the airport around breakfast time.

While there are challenges to operating at the airport, “the upsides are phenomenal both for brand exposure and from a revenue standpoint given how many people come through an airport on a regular basis,” said Dietz, “especially in PIT’s airside terminal where every passenger passes through the center core.”

Since 2018, Sarris Candies has been one of the local icons reaping the rewards of an airport outpost.

According to Sarris Candy President and CEO Bill Sarris, a few products from the Canonsburg-based company were already being carried by assorted PIT retail shops when national travel retailer Hudson Group approached the company with a partnership proposal for a branded standalone store at the airport.

“We said, ‘OK,’ and it has been very successful. We supply the product, and our rep goes there probably once a week to see what’s going on, say hello, see what products are moving and see what we can do to support them,” said Sarris. “It is a marriage. But it is Hudson’s store, they operate it, and they take the risk.”

Sarris confided that, for convenience, he shops at the airport candy store when he travels and, like many residents, is looking forward to the expanded mix of local and national brands that will be available when the new landside terminal opens in September.

That is exactly what PIT’s Dietz wants to hear.

“People are going to come through and feel like there’s something unique and special here,” said Dietz. “And they’re going to want to arrive early because they’ll know they’ll have an experience that matches their expectations of travel.”

New and Transformed Concessions in 2025:

• Hammer Made
• Champion City Sports
• Duquesne Supply Co.
• MAC Cosmetics
• Jimmy John’s
• Sambazon Acai
• Marathon Diner
• Hudson

Still to Come in 2025:

• Mineo’s
• Shake Shack
• Camden Market
• Hudson
• Café Conmigo
• Convive Coffee
• Mi Casa Cantina
• Bad Egg Breakfast Bar
• Stack + Press Delicatessen
• Tumi
• Joe and the Juice