Meeting and Greeting, Pittsburgh Style

We do things differently in Pittsburgh. We put fries on sandwiches and salads, have our own language (“Pittsburghese”), and no wedding is complete without a cookie table. We are proud of our mid-size city with a small town feel and the many traditions that bring us together.

One tradition, often taken for granted, happens daily in the pre-security area of Pittsburgh International Airport.

In many cities, when a friend or relative is coming to pick up a passenger after their flight, they meet them on the pickup curb outside – or greet them at home when they get out of the taxi. Not in Pittsburgh. We meet each other in baggage claim or at the checkpoint. We park, make our way inside, then intently watch the Flight Information Display Screens to check the status of the flight. That way, we’re ready to greet (and many times surprise) our friend/relative/loved one.

Spend a day in baggage claim and you’ll witness many iterations of this phenomenon. Passengers coming down the escalators to retrieve their bags are met by “Welcome Home” signs, flowers, balloons, hugs, and sometimes even engagement rings. Special memories are made here too. We see first-time meetings between grandparents and grandchildren, parents and their grown child’s significant other, and – in today’s digital age – couples sometimes meeting for the first time in person.