PIT’s New Airport to Address the Changing Needs of Pittsburghers
Terminal was designed with origin-and-destination travelers in mind
By Jeff Martinelli
Published January 27, 2025
Read Time: 3 mins
When the new Pittsburgh International Airport opens this year, it will signify in a tangible way the transformation to an origin-and-destination airport.
Pittsburgh-based travelers were not the focus when the airport opened on Oct. 1, 1992, as a US Airways hub. The airport was built with connecting passengers in mind, so it lacked many of the features the new front door to the region will have, such as pre- and post-security green terraces, intuitive design and wayfinding, and enhanced dining and shopping options.
Back then – and into 2001 when 80 percent of the airport traffic was hub passengers – it meant about 15 million to 16 million travelers were arriving at the airside terminal. After de-boarding, they often hurried to another gate to take a connecting flight to their final destinations. They went through security checkpoints and checked bags at their originating airport, not PIT. Most never made it through the Fort Pitt Tunnels and into downtown.
Meanwhile, PIT had approximately 4 million origination-and-destination passengers who used the security che