Stories of the Year: Blue Sky News Looks Back at 2024

A lot of attention this year has been focused on the construction of the new terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport, but that hasn’t overshadowed the many other ways that 2024 has been a landmark year for the Allegheny County Airport Authority.  

Icelandair and British Airways connected Pittsburgh travelers to the world with nonstop service as overall passenger traffic at PIT through the summer and fall reached levels not seen since the airport’s days as a major connecting hub nearly 20 years ago.  

And 2024 proved that ACAA is redefining what an airport means as the groundbreaking sensory-friendly room, Presley’s Place, celebrated five years of service and the award-winning workforce development program, PIT2Work, marked its first anniversary. Plus, Pittsburgh’s nickname of Robotics Capital of the World was reinforced when Future Travel Experience and PIT hosted the 2024 Aviation & Robotics Summit. 

Check out our top stories of the year and return next week with a special year-end edition of Blue Sky News devoted to the new terminal project. 

Icelandair Takes Off with Nonstop Service 

PIT welcomed its newest airline in May as Icelandair launched seasonal, nonstop service to Reykjavik, Iceland, four times a week, marking the region’s second transatlantic route and the return of Pittsburgh-Iceland flights for the first time since 2019. To commemorate the first flight, an Iceland-themed gateside celebration was held with passengers, airport staff and Icelandair representatives. Pittsburghers have quickly embraced Icelandair with its service not only being the most convenient way to access Iceland but also providing connections to over 25 European markets, plus a stopover option in Iceland at no additional cost. In 2025, Icelandair will expand the Pittsburgh-Reykjavik route into the spring with an April 17 resumption date, nearly a month sooner than last season. (Evan Doughtery) 

Presley’s Place Turns 5 

This year, PIT’s sensory-friendly room, Presley’s Place, celebrated five years of service. Named after Presley Rudge, ACAA team member Jason Rudge’s son, Presley’s Place is designed for travelers with sensory sensitivities to find respite from the chaotic airport environment. To celebrate this revolutionary innovation, PIT hosted a panel featuring ACAA staff and local disability advocates. The panelists discussed the importance of spaces like Presley’s Place and, as more sensory rooms pop up in airports across the world, the value passengers find in having accessible services at the start and end of their journeys. (Gina Mastrangelo) 

PIT2Work Marks a Year of Building the Regional Workforce 

Few airports in the U.S. have programs geared toward the development of their regional workforce. One of those airports is PIT. The airport’s award-winning workforce development program, PIT2Work celebrated its one-year anniversary.  The five-week pre-apprenticeship training program is a fast track to the skilled trades and comes at no cost to participants. Already, 91 men and women from six counties in Western Pennsylvania have completed the program and many are now working members of local Pittsburgh trade unions. (Julie Bercik) 

Aviation & Robotics Summit Brings Global Experts to PIT 

Hosted by Future Travel Experience and PIT, the 2024 Aviation & Robotics Summit brought the global robotics, technology and aviation industry together to Pittsburgh, the Robotics Capital of the World. The summit allowed roboticists, technologists and aviation leaders from all over the world to work together in solving some of the most pressing challenges in the industry. XBridge, PIT’s innovation program for testing new technologies, was on display at this year’s event and attendees explored the tech PIT is testing on-site. On the final day of the summit, attendees collaborated to develop tech that could make air travel easier. PIT will be back next year to host the 2025 FTE World Innovation Summit from May 13-15.  (Gina Mastrangelo) 

Passenger Traffic Rebounds to New Heights 

Nationwide air travel reached record levels in 2024, and Pittsburgh was no different. Throughout the summer and fall, PIT not only surpassed pre-pandemic passenger counts but also reached levels not seen since the airport’s days as a major connecting hub nearly 20 years ago. June was PIT’s busiest month this year with over 970,000 passengers, the highest monthly total at the airport since July 2005. PIT is currently on track to finish between 9.6 million and 9.8 million total passengers in 2024, which would be the airport’s highest year-to-date total since 2006. In response to strong demand, numerous airlines added service including Breeze Airways and Southwest Airlines to San Diego, Delta Air Lines resuming Salt Lake City and more recently, Allegiant Air to Phoenix and American Airlines and Breeze increasing service to Los Angeles starting in 2025. (Evan Doughtery) 

British Airways Expands Daily Nonstop Service 

In September, British Airways announced it would expand nonstop service between Pittsburgh and London from six days a week to seven days a week starting March 30, marking the first time the route will operate daily since it began in 2019. The expanded schedule is a major win for fliers by providing additional flexibility for traveling to London and beyond and comes as passenger and cargo demand for the Pittsburgh-London route has grown since its introduction. More information on British Airways’ expanded service for 2025 can be found here. (Evan Doughtery) 

D-Day Veteran Gets Hero’s Send Off  

In June, Blue Sky featured Warren Goss, a World War II vet who landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. Goss landed in Normandy as a part of the 4th Infantry Division, 531st Special Brigade. His unit was tasked with clearing Utah Beach prior to the ensuing, larger wave of the D-Day invasion. Eighty years later, he returned to Europe, beginning his trip at Pittsburgh International Airport. The article featured his well-deserved hero’s send-off, although he modestly said, “Everybody was a hero then. I’m not the hero.” (Dan Lagiovane) 

American Airlines Creates More Maintenance Jobs 

American Airlines is doubling down on Pittsburgh to meet the needs of servicing its fleet. This year, American announced plans to add more jobs at its PIT base for a total of 360 aviation maintenance base technicians, nearly double its total from August 2022. By the end of 2025, American plans to support up to 600 total aircraft maintenance jobs at PIT. A holdover from the US Airways hub, the PIT maintenance base has grown to become American’s second largest, performing heavy checks on the carrier’s growing fleet of Airbus A320 family aircraft. More on American’s plans to grow PIT can be read here. (Evan Doughtery)  

UPS Increases Capacity as Cargo Growth Continues 

The Aug. 19 edition of Blue Sky featured UPS increasing its daytime flights between Pittsburgh and Louisville to five times weekly and adding larger widebody freighters, such as the Boeing 767-300 and McDonnell Douglas MD-11, to its schedule. It was just one example that Blue Sky highlighted this year regarding the economic impact air cargo has on the region, which is expected to keep growing once Cargo 4 opens in 2025. To read about UPS’ expansion, please visit. (Dan Lagiovane)  

TEDx Taps PIT CEO Christina Cassotis for Insights on Innovation 

The Jan. 29 Blue Sky featured at TEDx Talk by Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO Christina Cassotis, who is about to mark her 10th anniversary on the job. She discussed her arrival in Pittsburgh in 2015, her vision for ACAA and the steps she and the team took to make PIT a global leader – not just in aviation, but in sustainability, innovation and inclusivity, as well. Learn how she put the “Pittsburgh Playbook” to work. (Dan Lagiovane)