Originally Posted by
jkhuggins
From a different news article:
I have a vague memory that the latest major remodel at PIT in the late 90s had as its intention that the airport would double as a shopping destination as well as an airport. My memory is that the concourses were much wider than for other airports of the time, specifically because they were anticipating and hoping to promote wider traffic.
And then, (1) 9/11 happened, restricting concourses to ticketed passengers, and (2) USAir pulled out of Pittsburgh as a hub, which drove traffic through those concourses down substantially. I'm sure they've been trying to find ways to reverse that.
Yes. They even called it the Air Mall.
Originally Posted by
MrAndy1369
I thought this wasn't new at all? IIRC, PIT always had an option for non-ticketed passengers to go through security to the mall. I could be misremembering, though.
Not since 9/11. PIT has been lobbying for this access for the last 16 years, because of how the airport was built to double as a mall, but the TSA has balked until now.
Originally Posted by
gobluetwo
They specifically address the former question by saying they will prioritize travelers vs. non-travelers during busy/peak times to ensure flights aren't missed due to increased volumes in the lines. Not sure how it will be implemented, but they're thinking about it.
Remember that PIT has a significant number of screening lanes, with multiple ways of getting to them. It is one of the least impacted by long lines at security.