Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) CEO Christina Cassotis is keeping her promise to travelers who will enjoy the airport’s spacious new terminal before Thanksgiving.
The airport has scheduled the opening of its new $1.7 billion terminal on Tuesday, Nov. 18, a week before the holiday.
“This is a new day for our region,” Cassotis said in a statement Monday. “This is an airport built by Pittsburgh for Pittsburgh. It improves the passenger experience and ensures the region remains on the global stage.”
Sneak peek: Pittsburgh’s gleaming new $1.7 billion terminal set to open
The opening of the new Pittsburgh terminal comes at a time of great uncertainty for the aviation industry. Airlines are canceling thousands of flights across the country as the longest federal government shutdown in history takes a toll on air traffic controllers. Data from the flight tracking website FlightAware showed that 16 flights from Pittsburgh were canceled on Monday, accounting for 8% of the total scheduled flights at the airport.
Data from the Allegheny County Airport Authority shows airport passenger growth, while still above pre-pandemic levels, leveled off in September.
Still, as Cassotis said, the new terminal brings “a new day” to Pittsburgh. The former US Airways hub is no longer a terminal complex designed for the (more) busier days, but a terminal designed and sized for the 21st century and the future of the city.
The new 811,000-square-foot building houses all airline ticketing and check-in counters, as well as baggage claim. The registration level features a soaring wood-toned ceiling punctuated by point lights that resemble stars in the night sky. Tree-like supports support the structure.
“If we look at this building, as you walk through one of the beautiful forests surrounding Pittsburgh, it’s all filled with natural light,” Louis Vidal + Architects founder Luis Vidal said of the design. “This wooden ceiling reminds us that we are in the middle of a pavilion, that we are in the middle of a forest.”
Reward your inbox with the TPG daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers and get breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive offers from TPG experts
More: Why are airports inviting fake passengers to test new terminals?
Gensler and HDR, along with Luis Vidal + Architects, designed Pittsburgh’s new terminal.
The terminal is connected directly to the airport’s existing concourse via a “sky bridge,” which Vidal compared to the experience of exiting the city’s Fort Pitt Tunnel and seeing Pittsburgh’s famous skyline unfold before you.
Upon opening, the airport’s existing terminal, which opened in 1992, and the trains connecting the terminals and concourses will be closed.
Related reading:
