Summer Splash: PIT Starts June with Several New Routes

Nonstop flights to Montreal, Minneapolis, Newark begin this week

By Matt Neistein

Published May 27, 2022

Read Time: 3 mins

Print/Download

This summer, Pittsburgh International Airport is giving you the world.

With Memorial Day in the rearview mirror, the unofficial start of the summer season is here and, along with it, more flights to more places, including international destinations.

The crown jewel is the resumption of British Airways’ nonstop flight between PIT and London Heathrow, which connects to more than 180 destinations in more than 80 countries around the globe. That route restarts on June 3.

But several other options are also coming this week that offer intriguing getaways filled with culture, entertainment and—of course—sunshine.

On June 1, Air Canada resumes nonstop service to Montreal for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This means the airline’s pre-pandemic service is now fully restored; the PIT-Toronto Pearson route restarted in August 2021.

Nonstop flights will operate daily on a year-round basis, departing Montreal at 2:05 p.m. and arriving at PIT at 3:47 p.m. The return flight leaves at 4:20 p.m. and arrives in Montreal at 5:51 p.m.

Why go to Montreal? Music fans may want to check out the Osheaga or Montreal Jazz festivals. Art aficionados could be interested in the Mural or Under Pressure festivals. And the restaurant scene, one of the best in North America, has something for everybody.

Air Canada will restore daily, nonstop service from PIT to Montreal Wednesday using 76-seat regional aircraft. (Photo by Beth Hollerich)

Perhaps the better question is, why not Montreal?

But if you’re looking to stay on this side of the border, you may want to explore what Minneapolis has to offer. Beginning June 2, ultra-low cost carrier Sun Country makes its debut at PIT with nonstop flights to the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

With that nickname, you know there’s plenty to do outdoors in the Twin Cities area and beyond. But there is also a robust theater scene, cultural events such as the Hmong International Freedom Festival and Little Africa Fest, and a little place you may have heard of called First Avenue.

Flights will operate twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays through September. The route will be served by Boeing 737-800 narrowbody aircraft seating a total of 186 passengers.

In addition to London, Montreal and Minneapolis, PIT features more than 60 other nonstop destinations, both domestic and international. However, we know that you may want to go somewhere not on that list.

To help with that, Spirit is launching a new daily nonstop flight to Newark Liberty International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the U.S. The flight, starting June 5, will give passengers a low-cost option to the New York area and the ability to connect to Newark’s more than 180 destinations, more than 20 of which are served by Spirit.

Coming on the heels of the carrier’s fifth anniversary at PIT, the route will feature a 228-seat Airbus A321. The inbound flight will leave Newark at 10:50 a.m. and arrive in Pittsburgh at 12:22 p.m., and the outbound flight will leave Pittsburgh at 1:22 p.m. and arrive in Newark at 2:50 p.m.

A Spirit A321 departs from Pittsburgh International Airport in October 2020. Spirit will utilize its 228-seat A321 on new nonstop service from PIT to Newark beginning Sunday. (Photo by Evan Dougherty)