Pittsburgh International Airport

Disability Pride Month is here; we want to celebrate it with words and actions. At PIT, we have a history of supporting this community in innovative and meaningful ways, including: 💜 Presley’s Place—a first-of-its-kind sensory-friendly space where travelers with special needs can decompress while traveling and get acclimated to flying inside a plane cabin before boarding. 🌻 Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program—anyone traveling with an invisible disability can choose to wear the Sunflower as a discreet way to indicate to our airport team that they may need additional support. ✈️ NavCog—an iPhone app for indoor navigation created specifically to help people with visual impairments. This app, developed by Carnegie Mellon University, benefits those unfamiliar with large, complex interior spaces. We want to keep raising the bar for people with disabilities as we celebrate this special month 🎉

HEADS UP‼️ TSA will have explosive detection canine teams at the PIT security checkpoints. The canine teams will enhance security and streamline the screening experience for passengers. When the canine teams operate, passengers will notice lane configuration changes at the checkpoint entrance. PIT is one of several airports nationwide where TSA has implemented canine teams. As part of the process, the dogs sniff the air currents surrounding travelers and their belongings as they pass by to detect anyone who may be carrying explosives. In doing so, the canine teams assist with the efficiency and effectiveness of TSA’s screening operations. If a dog alerts its handler to an explosive odor, the TSA follows an established procedure to resolve the alarm. These highly trained canines are an effective tool in deterring and detecting explosive devices.

Artist Clayton Merrell, who designed our current airside blue terrazzo flooring called The Sky Beneath Our Feet, visited the site recently to oversee his contribution to the terrazzo flooring design in our new airport terminal. He brought with him some sample ‘leaves’ that will eventually be placed in the terrazzo flooring under the structural tree columns in the terminal building. They will be flush with the floor and shaped like leaves that would fall from trees indigenous to the region. He designed them to be like “Easter eggs” that can help people slow their minds down once they see something from nature. This design feature is connected to the elements of NaTeCo, the design philosophy that guides the construction of the new terminal, which reflects the nature, technology and community of the Pittsburgh region.

CLEAR is now expanding services to offer TSA PreCheck sign-ups at its enrollment kiosks. The perk of having both TSA PreCheck and membership in CLEAR Plus means passengers do not have to remove shoes, belts and electronic equipment from bags. This TSA PreCheck sign-up option is open to all passengers. TSA PreCheck enrollment will also still be available on our ticketing level. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eFd9WQit

Around 1,000 trades workers are working on the new terminal, including some still learning their craft. Working on such a major project provides apprentices with valuable hands-on experience. Watch how this major project is launching careers and read more here: https://lnkd.in/eRViE8mE

On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Business Travel Association, in collaboration with PIT, VisitPITTSBURGH, and the Greater Pittsburgh Hotel Association, hosted an event at the National Aviary. Corporate travel planners, leisure travel agencies, and hospitality professionals heard directly from PIT CEO Christina Cassotis about our exciting Air Service strategy and the progress of our new terminal. We're excited to share the growth we've had here in Pittsburgh and continue to move forward with that same momentum.

Our recently announced nonstop service on Delta Air Lines to Salt Lake City is a great way to connect through SLC to other West Coast locations and the perfect time to explore the city (and surrounding areas). Read more about this exciting new nonstop route here: https://lnkd.in/eRScs2KT

The ceiling being installed in our new terminal isn't just paneling. It will have 4,000 constellation lights mimicking stars in the night sky. Look closely at the pictures to see the tiny lights you'll admire from below when we open. The constellation lighting and wood-like ceiling panels are two important elements of NaTeCo, the design philosophy that guides the construction of the new terminal. They reflect the Pittsburgh region's nature, technology and community.

Ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs) are offering a record number of seats at Pittsburgh International Airport this summer, partly because of their new focus on locations beyond traditional vacation destinations. Spirit Airlines is leading the way, offering more than 144,000 seats on arriving and departing planes in July, the most since it began service at PIT in 2017. Frontier Airlines is offering nearly 49,000 seats this month, the most since it re-entered the Pittsburgh market in 2016. Read more about how these airlines are targeting new passengers here: https://lnkd.in/eh7yGfQZ

Our new terminal is just one of the many exciting developments at PIT. We'll also be introducing new concessions in our current terminal. In July, our legal department organized a special conference, Concessions 101, to support this expansion. This two-day conference provided high-level training and information to small, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses as they considered opportunities in the competitive concessions leasing and bidding process at PIT. We're proud to support these initiatives and have that reflected in our terminal.