Pittsburgh International Airport — in cooperation with the Transportation Security Administration — became the first airport in the United States to allow the public to access shops and restaurants beyond the security checkpoint without requiring an airline ticket and no reduction in security between the hours of 9:00 in the morning through 5:00 in the evening Monday through Friday every week all year round as of Tuesday, September 5, 2017.
Pittsburgh International Airport Open to Public Access; Extensive Renovations Coming; Aruba
Through the new myPITpass program — myPITpass is only valid on the day of issuance — members of the public will be able to access the Airside Terminal by following these procedures:
- Check in on the Third Floor Ticketing Level — across from Allegiant Air
- Show a valid photographic identification — such as a driver’s license or passport
- Have name vetted and obtain stamped myPITpass
- Go through security checkpoint observing the same rules as passengers boarding flights
During peak departure times, priority in the checkpoint line will be given to ticketed passengers catching flights. Issuance of passes may be suspended during these times.
Groups of 15 or more are asked to please call 412-472-5641 in advance to arrange a time.
Terminal Modernization Program
Officials of Allegheny County Airport Authority announced on Tuesday, September 12, 2017 plans to modernize the terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport with an updated design which is expected to reduce costs in the long term by eliminating the train, expand the security checkpoint, reconfigure the international arrivals process, implement modern technology throughout the terminal, improve the baggage delivery system, and other improvements designed to benefit the traveling public and align the facility with the needs of a modern passenger experience for the first time in 25 years.
The centerpiece of the plan involves a new landside terminal adjacent to the renovated airside terminal with 51 gates, a dozen more than are being used today. The groundbreaking of this significant project is expected to occur sometime in 2019, with completion of the project forecast sometime during the year 2023.
With a budget of $1.1 billion, this project is expected to create greater than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs — as well as produce $1.66 billion in economic activity. It is also expected to generate greater than $28 million in state and local income taxes.
Great SkyMiles Deal to Aruba
Thank you for reading this article up to this point. You are probably wondering what Aruba has to do with Pittsburgh International Airport; so please stay with me on this…
Okay — here is the main reason why I wrote this article while simultaneously trying not to kill this deal: you can redeem as few as 6,500 SkyMiles each way between Pittsburgh and Aruba; and while the availability of this deal is not exactly wide open, there are a number of random dates available for the remainder of 2017 and on into 2018.
Source: Delta Air Lines.The deal is also good in the other direction.
Source: Delta Air Lines.René de Lambert of Renés Points earlier today wrote this article which highlighted SkyMiles award tickets between New York and Hawaii for as few as 10,000 SkyMiles each way; but the deal almost instantly vanished. Thankfully, he alluded to this deal between Pittsburgh and Aruba in the Comments section of the aforementioned article.
Summary
Thanks to FlyerTalk member davetravels who originally found this deal, you have the opportunity to take advantage of a way to escape the impending cold this fall and winter to a warm and sunny island in the southern Caribbean Sea.
Regardless of whether or not this deal is a mistake or a bonafide offering, I did not want to ruin it for everyone else by blatantly shouting about it in a headline and blasting it everywhere; so instead, I decided to bury this deal in this article and “reward” — for lack of a better word — you for reading this article about true developments with Pittsburgh International Airport by using what I call reverse click-bait.
Act quickly, though, as no one knows how long this SkyMiles redemption deal will last — and do not forget that you can always cancel your reservation within 24 hours without penalty…
Source: Pittsburgh International Airport.
