Matthew wrote this week a glowing review of the gorgeous new Pittsburgh International Airport terminal, and visitors may be impressed; locals see massive issues.
The New Terminal
When Pittsburgh International Airport opened in 1992, it’s X-terminal design meant that US Airways travelers would never have to cross more than the length of two concourses to connect flights. This was a huge advantage for the former hub’s 20MM annual passengers at its height. But US Airways and Pittsburgh as a hub are both long gone and not coming back, so new leadership reduced its gate count from 75 (many of which were no longer utilized) to 51. All of those gates were eliminated on the southern half of the X moving the terminal from a separated out building connected by an underground train to a new building attached to the gates.
The gates and concourses were not vastly upgraded though there were some changes along with new merchants, and restaurants. It is a stunning building to be in with world-class design for some aspects (baggage claim, the check-in hall, and routing pickups, drop-offs, and other transportation on different floors. Visually, the terminal is undeniably impressive – especially for visitors like Matthew who wrote about the airport this week – but for regular flyers to and from PIT, there are some flaws both small and large that don’t make sense given the scale of the overhaul, time, and budget.
Somehow, it’s now worse.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
