Know Before You Go: Tips for Your Inaugural Trip at the New PIT

When Pittsburgh International Airport’s new terminal opens to the public on Tuesday, Nov. 18, it will open a new chapter for air travel in Pittsburgh. 

It will mark the biggest improvement the region’s travelers have experienced at PIT in over three decades at an airport built for Pittsburgh.  

With the looming holiday travel period expected to bring a surge in air travel, here are some top things to expect for travelers’ first trips through the new terminal whether on Opening Day or any time after. 

Departing and arriving passengers 

Even with the new terminal opening Tuesday, PIT still advises departing travelers to arrive two hours prior to their scheduled departure time for domestic flights and three hours prior for international flights. For all flights during peak travel times, including flights departing between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m., the airport recommends travelers to arrive 2-3 hours in advance. 

The new terminal features three roadway levels for passenger pick-up and drop-off: 

• Departures (Top) Level: Used by departing passengers and home to airline check-in/ticket counters and security. Used for dropping off passengers by friends/family, the PIT parking shuttle, Hyatt Hotel Shuttle, Uber/Lyft, taxi and limo services. American Airlines (Door #2) and Southwest Airlines (Door #3) offer curbside check-in for checked baggage on this level. 

• Arrivals (Middle) Level: Used by arriving passengers. Designated for passenger pickup by friends or family. The PIT parking shuttle and Hyatt Hotel Shuttle also pick up arriving passengers on this level. 

• Ground Commercial Curbside (Bottom) Level: Dedicated for taxis, ride-shares, limos and hotel shuttles and off-site parking shuttles and public transit. Walking access to the Terminal Lot, rental car counters and Terminal Garage is also accessible from this level. 

Inside, passengers will be able to transit each level through sets of escalators and elevators. This includes a special set of “expresscalators” available for passengers to reach the Departures level directly from the ground level of the new terminal. 

WATCH: How Passengers Will Navigate the Transformed PIT 

Arriving domestic passengers will be guided by signage from their gates directly into the main terminal area. To enter the new terminal’s Arrivals level, domestic passengers will proceed through a set of Automated Exit Lanes. Each lane is capable of processing up to 600 passengers per hour, and is designed to support high-volume, one-way traffic out of the secure environment, ensuring secure and efficient exit without staff intervention. 

International arriving passengers (except from destinations with U.S. border pre-clearance) continue to follow the same process of clearing customs and retrieving their checked luggage on Concourse C’s lower level.  

Once through customs, however, international arrivals now exit through a corridor that leads directly to the Arrivals level. This replaces the outdated setup of navigating various narrow tunnels down to the trains, significantly improving wayfinding and reducing the time from exiting international arrivals to reaching the curb by nearly two thirds. 

The new international arrivals setup is part of a major renovation to Concourse C that includes significant upgrades to the international arrivals experience and PIT’s ability to handle larger aircraft.  

READ MORE: PIT’s International Arrivals Area Receives Major Upgrades 

Welcome Point and Baggage Claim 

When entering the Arrivals level, all passengers will pass through the Welcome Point. This space is built for the Pittsburgh region’s distinct “meeter-greeter” phenomenon, where locals park and wait inside PIT to receive colleagues, friends and family arriving in Pittsburgh. 

Domestic passengers can pick up checked luggage at one of the level’s eight new baggage claim areas organized by airline, nearly double the size of the former baggage claims area. Passengers and bags no longer have to travel a long distance between buildings; PIT has reduced the amount of baggage belts from more than 8 miles to 3 miles, promising shorter waits for checked bags. 

Parking Options 

Onsite parking at PIT has been reconfigured to offer the following options: the Terminal Garage, Terminal Lot and Shuttle Lot.  

The Terminal Garage and Terminal Lot provide the closest, walkable access to the new terminal. Departing and arriving passengers parked in the Terminal Garage and Terminal Lot will enter or exit the new terminal through the Ground Commercial Curbside level. 

The Shuttle Lot replaces the airport’s legacy Long Term, Extended and Economy lots, and is the airport’s lowest cost onsite parking option. There are no walkways connecting the new terminal with the legacy parking lots so Shuttle Lot passengers will take one of the new parking shuttles.  

READ MORE: Onsite Airport Parking Is the Smart Traveler’s Choice 

Shuttles pick up arriving passengers by Door 5 outside of Baggage Claim on the Arrivals level of the new terminal building. Passengers will ride a shuttle bus to the shuttle stop that is closest to their parking spaces.​ 

Here is a list of the designated parking shuttle stops by the legacy lots: 

• ​Long Term: Stop #1 Champions, #3 Bridges or #4 Robotics​ 
• Economy Lot: Stop #2 Steel, #4 Robotics or #5 The Burgh​ 
• Extended Lot: Stop #5 The Burgh​ 
• Short Term Garage & PIT Executive Parking: Stop #3 Bridges (NOTE: passengers who parked in these lots will still be able to utilize the moving walkway to reach their vehicles) 

Pre-booking for the new lots is live at PARKatPIT.com. For additional details and information, travelers can ask the staff at the airport’s Information Desks. 

Security 

The new security checkpoint features up to 12 screening lanes, doubling the airport’s existing screening capacity. The security checkpoint includes the following lane assignments, each indicated by signage: 

• Standard 
• TSA Pre-Check 
• CLEAR 
• Priority 
• Military and ADA 
• Crew (pilots and flight attendants) 
• Employee Lane (airport staff) 

Travelers interested in signing up for CLEAR or TSA Pre-Check can enroll onsite at the Departures level at kiosks right before the screening checkpoint lanes. 

The screening checkpoints feature TSA’s latest scanning machines where passengers will load their items onto bins distributed via a conveyor system. The new machines enable travelers to no longer remove electronic devices from their luggage during the screening process. 

Once passengers clear screening, they will pass through a recompose area and transit through the Skybridge, a tunnel featuring mood lighting that adjusts to the time of day, creating an immersive visual moment. The Skybridge connects to the airside mezzanine level leading to the Core and all gates. 

Amenities 

The new terminal is focused on universal access, designed to meet or exceed accessibility standards. Throughout the new terminal are inclusive restrooms, companion care spaces, quiet rooms and sensory-friendly zones. 

A main feature of the new terminal is the Welcome Point on the Arrivals level, a highly visible, public-facing space where friends and family reunite with arriving passengers. The space is designed to be welcoming and comfortable with amenities, concessions and optional outdoor seating. It represents the final guest touchpoint for arriving travelers and the first impression for those picking up loved ones. 

WATCH: Enhancing the Passenger Experience with Universal Access 

Distinctive to PIT is the addition of two new outdoor terraces, which can be accessed on the Arrivals level. A rarity for airport designs, the terraces and their gardens provide fresh-air areas for all travelers. PIT’s terraces are coming soon. 

For friends and family pick-up, PIT has added its Free Wait Lot, the airport’s new dedicated cell phone lot. Drivers can now park for up to an hour free, eliminating the need to circle the campus, and avoiding a ticket by Allegheny County Police for parking along the side of the road. 

Concessions 

The new terminal will introduce three new concessions at PIT—all located pre-security and thus accessible to non-ticketed visitors, in addition to passengers. 

The Departures level will add a Hudson News & Gifts and Camden Food Market located prior to the security screening checkpoint. On the Arrivals level is Café Conmigo’s second—and largest—location in the airport that will feature a food court.  

Hudson News & Gifts and Café Conmigo will be open to the public on Day One, while Camden Food Market is expected to open in the coming weeks. 

This follows up nearly 20 concessions that have been added to PIT. Most recently, Shake Shack, Stack & Press and Convive Coffee have opened new locations at the airport, and Joe & the Juice and Tumi have debuted renovated spaces in the Core. Meanwhile, Mineo’s Pizza is expected to open its location—in between Marathon Diner and Shake Shack—in the coming weeks. 

Customer assistance and wheelchair 

The new terminal features an Information Desk on the Ground Transportation level near Door 8, which is also the new location for the airport’s Lost & Found. PIT also maintains its existing Information Desk location in the Core between Concourses A and B near the Martini Bar and Vino Volo.  

The Information Desks are staffed from 6 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Sunday-Friday and 6 a.m.-7 p.m. each Saturday. Travelers can also contact the PIT Information Desks at 412-472-3525. 

Additionally, the airport has volunteer Ambassador stations through Door 2 on the Departures level and next to Café Conmigo on the Arrivals level. Ambassadors also roam throughout the airport to assist travelers and can be identified by their purple vests.  

Wheelchairs can be requested at the airline’s ticket counters on the Departures level in addition to when booking a flight. Passengers can also arrange for a wheelchair when at the airport by contacting the Information Desk. 

New signage has been installed throughout the airport campus to help passengers find where they need to go. Through the end of November, PIT will have representatives (wearing purple high-visibility vests) stationed in the terminal and parking lots to offer extra assistance for travelers.  

An interactive map of the new terminal can be found on FlyPittsburgh.com.