SUMMER CROWDS AT PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT | PHOTO BY BETH HOLLERICH, PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

If you were standing in long lines at Pittsburgh International Airport in June, there’s a good reason.

That was the busiest month in passenger volume at the airport in nearly 20 years.

The 970,000 travelers in June were the most since 2005, shortly after US Airways pulled out of its hub at PIT. At that time, passenger volume reached 1.2 million people; even though US Airways’ hub was no longer there, the airline still had a large presence at the airport.

June’s activity also topped pre-pandemic levels in 2019 by a whopping 70,000 travelers.

“We had forecast that we would be back to 2019 levels, and we’ve passed it,” PIT CEO Christina Cassotis said in a statement in Blue Sky News. “We expect this will be a new watermark year, and we can start talking about 2024 as a new benchmark as we continue to see growth in the market.”

In 2005, up to 50% of the airport’s total traffic involved connecting flights, with US Airways controlling 60% of those. Now, more than 95% of travelers leave from and return to Pittsburgh.

The new $1.5 billion terminal that is expected to open next year is designed to better handle the origin-and-destination trips that now dominate the airport. 

Over the last 19 years, a greater mix of low-cost and ultra-low-cost airlines have moved into PIT, contributing to higher passenger volume.

Now the largest airline serving PIT is Southwest, which had 24.5% of the airport’s total passengers in June. American Airlines was next at 21%.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES IS THE LARGEST CARRIER NOW AT PIT, WHICH TRANSPORTED 24.5% OF THE AIRPORT’S TOTAL PASSENGERS IN JUNE 2024 | PHOTO BY BETH HOLLERICH, PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

To help handle the crowds — especially during early morning hours when PIT seems to handle the population of a small city — the TSA PreCheck lane has been moved to an alternate location on the ticket level to screen passengers between 4 to 7 a.m. Mondays through Fridays.  After 7 a.m., the TSA PreCheck will be available at the main security level through 8 p.m., but might open again on the ticket level if wait times become too long. There are signs directing travelers to the correct entry points.

More checkpoints will be available in the new terminal, so these capacity issues should no longer be an issue. No opening date for the terminal has been announced.