NBC’s ‘Dateline’ Features PIT’s Progress In Pandemic Special

The Terminal Modernization Program at Pittsburgh International Airport got a national audience last week as part of an NBC “Dateline” special.

“Dateline” aired “COVID: One Year Later” and featured an interview with PIT CEO Christina Cassotis along with renderings of the proposed new terminal. The interview was part of a segment on the impact the pandemic has had on travel and what’s next for travel in a post-pandemic world.

“Pittsburgh will have one of the first new terminals to open post-pandemic, and we were excited to again be recognized as an industry leader,” Cassotis said. “We added public health to our dual imperatives of safety/security and air service, and that is the lens through which we have been looking at the terminal and the whole project during this time. Improving the airport experience and increasing public trust in travel are essential to any future plans.”

READ MORE: State of the Airport and Forging a Post-Pandemic Future

A “Dateline” photographer arrived for the interview with Cassotis two weeks ago and spent time filming around the airport. It’s the second time in less than two years that a PIT initiative has been featured on an NBC national broadcast. In August 2019, NBC’s “TODAY” show aired a feature on Presley’s Place, a world-leading sensory room at PIT.

The TMP, which was formally announced in September 2017, is a billion-dollar project to create a new consolidated terminal that modernizes outdated former hub facilities, better serves passengers, fuels the region’s future development, lowers long-term costs for airlines and evokes the essence of Pittsburgh.

Early site work for the TMP was scheduled to begin last April, but construction was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, TMP management and design teams have been working closely with airlines and key stakeholders to incorporate new public health innovation.

The airport is hoping to start early site work this spring to prepare for construction of the terminal building this summer.