Again within the day, mid-sized cities like Memphis, Kansas City and Pittsburgh have been house to bustling airline hubs — crossroads of the nation the place tens of millions of connecting passengers handed by every year.
These days, nevertheless, are lengthy gone.
As airways consolidated and advanced their networks, these airports shifted from connecting factors to purely origin-and-destination (O&D) gateways. In different phrases, they went from being main hubs facilitating connections to airports primarily serving vacationers who really stay in or go to the realm.
That shift has pressured airports to rethink their function and their design. Gone are the layouts optimized for fast connections and hub operations; of their place are services that prioritize comfort, effectivity and a way of place for native vacationers.
Pittsburgh Worldwide Airport (PIT) is the most recent airport to reinvent itself. Since 2021, a significant $1.7 billion glow-up and reconfiguration has been underway.
The opening of the Terminal Modernization Program (TMP) is simply weeks away — earlier than the Thanksgiving vacation, as TPG first reported — and upfront of the opening, I traveled to Pittsburgh with TPG’s Ben Mutzabaugh to get a sneak peek of what flyers can quickly anticipate.
The excellent news? There’s quite a bit to like, even for individuals who might need fond reminiscences of US Air’s (and later US Airways’) hub operation at PIT.
Departures space
From the second you pull as much as the brand new facility, you will doubtless be wowed by what you see, even should you’re not a neighborhood who will immediately respect the improve.
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To begin, the three-level departures and arrivals corridor is a glistening new construction constructed adjoining to the present airport concourses.
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It is positioned on the intersection of the C and D concourses and designed to focus the expertise on departing and arrival site visitors. (With out a bustling hub, PIT’s site visitors consists of simply 3% connecting flyers.)
Departing vacationers shall be dropped off on the prime stage of the ability, the place you will catch a glimpse of the previous landside terminal facility, in addition to the all-new parking storage and outside parking areas (extra on that later).
Regardless of the season, PIT’s new four-lane departures curb retains you shielded from the weather due to the roof overhang that covers a lot of the lanes.
There are three entrance vestibules to the brand new terminal, all resulting in the dramatic new check-in space.
I counsel getting into by the center vestibule to maximise your possibilities of oohing and aahing on the new terminal.
For me, the issues that instantly caught my eye embody the hovering excessive ceilings, the plethora of pure gentle, the tree-inspired columns and the constellation-style lighting.
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Collectively, these components are designed to offer vacationers a really feel for Pittsburgh’s timber and rolling hills.
I like how the ceiling undulates to naturally information flyers towards the brand new centralized safety space.
However earlier than getting there, you may have to cease on the modernized check-in desks positioned alongside the perimeter of the departures space.
As a result of American and Southwest are PIT’s two largest airways, they bought the check-in desks closest to the safety lanes. (Don’t fret, not one of the walks are lengthy right here.)
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On the way in which to safety, you will go PIT’s flagship piece of artwork, a kinetic cell named “Pittsburgh” by Alexander Calder, in addition to a Hudson Information, Camden Meals Co. and a set of restrooms.
Talking of restrooms, every is designed with a singular piece of artwork hanging close to the doorway. All restroom doorways open outwards, and you will even discover a small contemporary flower association subsequent to every mirror, a la Lufthansa first class.
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You will discover a number of seating earlier than safety — an intentional design alternative, defined Bob Kerlik, PIT’s director of public affairs — as a result of many PIT vacationers prefer to drop off their family members contained in the terminal (and decide them up inside too).
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The 12-lane safety checkpoint will deliver a much-needed screening capability enhance for PIT, hopefully eliminating the early-morning rush-hour traces you discover as we speak within the present facility.
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You will discover each sort of safety lane right here — Clear, Precheck, precedence and common — all of which shall be processed utilizing the TSA’s newish blue Analogic machines.
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After safety, passengers will stroll over a brief bridge decked out with an enormous digital display screen displaying rotating silhouettes of Pittsburgh’s much more well-known bridges, after which into one small tunnel earlier than being deposited into the central terminal core.
Anybody who’s been by PIT lately will shortly notice that this new setup is lacking one factor: the automated individuals mover.
The brand new terminal was constructed adjoining to the gate areas, making for a much more environment friendly departing and arrival expertise for vacationers. It is also a cheaper resolution for airways, saving them an estimated $20 million yearly, in keeping with PIT authorities.
Whereas the brand new terminal positive is eye-catching, the airport is not renovating (at the least, not but) the gate areas. You will discover some upgrades, equivalent to modernized restrooms and up to date digital signage and wayfinding close to the gates, however the concourses nonetheless largely resemble what they did again when US Airways jets may very well be seen at most gates.
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This design stands in stark distinction to different mid-size former hub airports, like Kansas City, which have rebuilt their terminals — together with gate and concourse areas — from the bottom up.
That additionally means there is no extra room for brand new lounges; you will nonetheless discover an Admirals Membership and a common-use The Club at PIT because the airport’s two lounges.
Arrivals space
Arriving passengers are additionally in for a deal with, as home arrivals will stroll on to the exit with out hopping on a prepare.
There are eight baggage declare belts, 4 fewer than the present facility, however they’re all nicer, newer and — maybe most significantly — speedier than the previous terminal. That is as a result of airways will not have to drive the luggage between the concourses and the landslide terminal. Every little thing will occur in a single facility, reducing the size that baggage have to journey from eight to 3 miles.
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The luggage claims even have distinctive paintings. 4 of them function rotating phrases that evoke vacationers’ emotions whereas ready for his or her baggage; the opposite 4 function life-size picket sculptures made regionally.
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Talking of paintings, Pittsburgh did one thing I have not seen earlier than in all my travels. It turned the flight info shows into artwork. Sure, you will nonetheless simply catch a glimpse of your flight standing, however these shows are actually wrapped in wooden that is grown and handcrafted in Pittsburgh, including much more native aptitude to the airport.
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One other ingredient designed to resemble the locale is the addition of 4 outside terraces: two positioned landside and two post-security. Sadly, simply one of many smaller, extra modest ones shall be open on day one.
The bigger, extra spectacular decks will not be prepared till the spring, mentioned Kerlik.
That mentioned, they look like well worth the wait — particularly the one adjoining to the worldwide arrival space, which shall be superbly manicured and supply pop-up concessions and extra.
Vacationers arriving from worldwide locations who have to clear customs and immigration will go by a brand new federal inspection station, which connects to the primary arrivals corridor with a hallway decked out in native paintings.
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After arriving, all vacationers will discover themselves on the second stage of the departures and arrivals corridor.
Household and good friend pickup will happen on this stage, whereas rideshares, shuttle buses and entry to the brand new storage can be found on the bottom stage.
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Rideshare pickup has a devoted space with angled parking spots so vacationers can simply see the license plate of their assigned automotive.
In the meantime, a coated walkway results in the brand new five-story parking storage. The bottom ground shall be house to the brand new consolidated rental automotive facility, whereas the remaining flooring (minus the roof) supply 3,271 coated parking areas — thrice greater than the earlier facility.
For many who do not thoughts braving the weather, there’s additionally a big open-air car parking zone adjoining to rideshare pickup with room for two,800 automobiles.
Charges for parking are anticipated to be introduced within the coming weeks.
Backside line
All in all, Pittsburgh’s completed an important job reinventing itself for a post-hub period.
Whereas some airports may hearken again to the glory days once they had extra connectivity and tens of millions extra passengers, PIT is absolutely leaning into its new actuality as an origin and vacation spot airport.
The excellent news is that vacationers will now take pleasure in a much more environment friendly and modernized journey expertise, on par with a number of the nicest new U.S. airport terminals.
After all, one may want they did not have to cease in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia or Atlanta to get to a number of the extra far-flung locations from Pittsburgh these days, however at the least the bottom expertise shall be world-class.
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