When Allegheny County Airport Authority officials earlier this month asked for volunteers to take part in a dress rehearsal designed to shake out the bugs in Pittsburgh International Airport’s new terminal, they guessed maybe 4,000 people max would respond.
That, they figured, would give them plenty to choose from in finalizing a list of about 2,500 participants.
Instead, 10,000 people came forward – in the first 24 hours. And by the time officials turned off the signup spigot Wednesday, the list numbered 18,000 names.
Bob Kerlik, the airport authority’s public affairs director, said that while the response certainly was impressive, no one with the airport was particularly surprised.
“We know people in this community are very interested and have a stake in what happens at the airport,” Kerlik said. “And that’s very exciting for us.
“Whenever we’ve asked, the community of Pittsburgh has responded. Even when it comes to air service initiatives – new flights that have come on line in the last 10 years. The public responds and supports.”
The region’s affinity for its airports – Kerlik said even the county airport in West Mifflin has its fans – is somewhat different from other areas, Kerlik said.
“In a lot of places, people’s view of their airport is, ‘It’s there,’” he said. “It’s taken for granted. Here, the airport is rooted in the history of the region. From the 1952 terminal to the existing terminal to what we’re going into.
“People have a vested interest in how this airport runs and that’s not common everywhere.”
Like a choppy flight, Pittsburgh International has had its ups and downs. At one point, it was a major hub for what was then USAir, with more than 100 nonstop destinations. But that dipped to as low as 36 in 2014 before rebounding to what is now 62 nonstop destinations.
“I think people understand how important it is for a community to have access to air service and an airport that works well,” Kerlik said. “I think Pittsburgh is unique in that intense community interest in its airport.”
It’s not just a recent phenomenon. Kerlik said he’ll often hear stories about how older Pittsburgh residents had their high school proms at the old airport.
“Or how people would just go out and watch planes take off,” he said.
Kerlik and others have fielded questions from people wanting to know if they’d have the opportunity to do that at the new landside terminal.
“The short answer is yes,” Kerlik said. “The sides of the new terminal are mostly windows so when you’re standing at the ticketing level, you can walk over to the walls and stand or sit and watch the planes take off as much as you like. That’s definitely an opportunity.”
Groundbreaking on the $1.7 billion airport project took place in October 2021, and officials all along have been targeting a fall 2025 opening. No official opening date has been set yet, but the new terminal public trial set for Saturday, Sept. 20, will help officials make the adjustments needed to assure a smooth opening.
Daniel Bryan, who heads the Operational Readiness Activation and Transition (ORAT) team, will oversee the team responsible for selecting the volunteers that can best replicate what a typical day at the airport looks and feels like.
Some basic trials already have taken place, but they haven’t involved volunteers following a script. For example, the ORAT team had planes roll up to the new gates so the systems and connections to the jet bridges could be tested. Another trial involved a local catering vendor checking to see if its workers could safely access approved aircraft doors with their catering vehicles. Other mundane trials included making sure toilets flushed in the newly installed and renovated bathrooms.
Essentially, everything that’s new or modified is being tested.
Some of that basic testing did uncover issues that needed to be addressed. But as Bryan said, “There’s no such thing as a bad trial – only lessons learned. It’s far better to uncover issues today so we can refine, adjust and be fully ready for Day 1.”
The Sept. 20 event will be much more intense and involved. Participants will be chosen to fill the roles of leisure travelers, families with children, international students, tech/business travelers or travelers who need special assistance of some type.
Participants of all ages, abilities will be brought in for the one-day event.
“We want to make sure we’re testing for all different types of people – older folks, younger folks, people with mobility issues, people who have to use wheelchairs,” Kerlik said. “Think about the cross-section of people and the different types of groups you see as an everyday occurrence at the airport.
“We want to make sure it works for everyone.”
Some volunteers will portray departing passengers, so they’ll go to ticketing and go through the security checkpoint operated by authentic TSA employees. Others will be arriving passengers and will start their journey in the new landslide terminal and proceed to baggage claim. Others will be meeters/greeters.
The airport project was launched in part to address a shift in the airport’s usage. The current facility, which came on line in 1992, was built with connecting passengers in mind – not those for whom Pittsburgh was a final destination.
Kerlick said that when the current airport opened, most passengers were just passing through. Today, 97% percent of passengers going through the airport are Pittsburgh passengers.
In raw numbers, Kerlik said at the height of USAir’s hub traffic, 15 million passengers were using the airport to connect to a different flight and 5 million ended their trips in Pittsburgh. Today, virtually all of those connecting flights are gone, but the number of Pittsburgh-bound passengers has risen to 10 million.
The current airport, Kerlick said, “never was built to handle all those people. We have two much space in some areas and not enough in other areas.”
The modernization project, which at this point is about 92% complete, essentially does away with the existing landside terminal. That terminal, which is a half-mile from airside terminal and connected by an underground train, is being replaced by a new landside terminal built adjacent to the airside terminal.
Kerlik said the new configuration will “cut the time from the curb to the gate in half” by eliminating the train and the commute time that goes with it. He said the new setup also will result in a shorter wait at baggage claim because the “bag beltway” will be cut in half.
In addition, instead of having two security checkpoints – a main one and an alternate one – the new landside terminal will have one consolidated checkpoint with 12 security lanes.
“That will help people get through (security) much more quickly than we do today,” Kerlik said.
In addition to the new landside terminal, the airside terminal has been undergoing its own renovations and more than 15 new shops and restaurants will be online by the time the “new” airport opens sometime in the fall. The gate areas also are being renovated.
The project also will feature four outdoor terraces – two pre-security and two post-security – for people who want to pop outside. In addition, a new 3,300-space covered parking area has been built next to the new terminal. Existing surface lots close to the new terminal will stay in use and will be served by shuttles. The fate of the existing parking garage, Kerlik said, has yet to be determined.
As for the volunteers, Kerlik said those who answered the initial sign-up bell will be contacted by email with instructions on how to register for the Sept. 20 trial run. They will have until Friday, Aug. 15, to apply to participate.
Those who aren’t among the 2,500 or so volunteers chosen for the dress rehearsal will get the chance to attend a public open house at some point – as will the community at large.
No date has been set for that open house.
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