Pittsburgh International Airport in top 100 in the world (Alba: 2013, taxi)

[UKyank]

World's Top 100 Airports | 2013

Granted being ranked #97 isn't much to get too excited about, but its still nice to make the top 100 of all airports list again.

Now if only we could get some more traffic through it...

[that412]

PIT is still probably the single most easy to use and get around in of all the airports I've been in, even though it looks like a ghost town more often than not.

[UKyank]

Originally Posted by that412

PIT is still probably the single most easy to use and get around in of all the airports I've been in, even though it looks like a ghost town more often than not.

I agree - I think if more people used it & it received greater exposure PIT would garner a higher ranking as it really is much better then many of the higher ranked airports I've been through on that list. Though admittedly its transportation links are extremely poor.

If traffic ever did increase significantly though, PIT would have to expand its security screening area as it can back up significantly with even limited flights.

[MathmanMathman]

Back when PIT was still a hub, it did garner recognition as the best airport in America I think by Conde Nast. PIT often finished among the top airports in its surveys. I suppose because of the significant drop in traffic it's no longer considered or loses a lot of points.

I don't see PIT traffic ever coming back to its former levels. Even in its heyday, PIT's peak at 20 million passengers was much lower than at other airports. ATL is the world's busiest with passenger traffic close to 100 million and showing no signs of decline.

Apparently, O&D is all important but really, if flying on a hub airline, I'd prefer a short first hop to a hub where it is an easy change of planes with little chance of delay due to heavy air traffic, short taxi times for takeoffs, and great terminal amenities at low prices for the layovers. For hubbing the northeast, that describes PIT.

For the Pittsburgh region, an expressway beltway that connects to the airport and a rail line to downtown would help with O&D. I was in San Francisco recently and BART to downtown made that visit a breeze. My only complaint about SFO was poor signage.

My experience with TSA lately has been very good in terms of wait times but maybe at low volume airports like PIT, staffing is not as good.

[MathmanMathman]

Looking over that list, Pittsburgh dropped from #90 to #97. But what is more interesting is Cincinnati is #30 which also means it's the best in the USA. Although, CVG also dropped in its former ranking from #24.

So why is CVG the best in the USA as its number of service points is no better than Pittsburgh's? In fact, CVG has fewer passengers passing through its airport than PIT. So how is CVG better?

[Geeo]

If I remember correctly, Pitsburgh Airport has always ranked high from its opening in 1992, and probably still does, because of the way the terminal sits in the middle of the runways, which lessens the time it takes for planes to take off and land and saves a ton of fuel ( and money for the airlines). The terminals were laid out so that you just have to walk a straight line from the parking lots, into the airside, through security, onto the tram and into the landside. Hard to get lost with this configuration. The landside is easy to navigate, has the mall, and a lot of amenities. Overall, it's just an easy airport to navigate, either by plane or for passengers.

And I really have no huge complaints on service. I mainly travel to major cities and there is nonstop service to most places I go. Granted, you have to connect to get to Albany or Buffalo now, but that's life in this crazy world we call deregulated airlines.

[SolitaryThrush]

And ranked #10 in Best Regional Airports in North America:
World's Best Regional Airports | 2013

(That's a reach for recognition, I know)

Incheon is very impressive at #2 in the world, and I haven't had the privilege of visiting Sinagpore's yet. The worst part of flying to North America is often leaving those Asian airports.

[unusualfire]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

Looking over that list, Pittsburgh dropped from #90 to #97. But what is more interesting is Cincinnati is #30 which also means it's the best in the USA. Although, CVG also dropped in its former ranking from #24.

So why is CVG the best in the USA as its number of service points is no better than Pittsburgh's? In fact, CVG has fewer passengers passing through its airport than PIT. So how is CVG better?

Atlanta has the busiest airport in the world yet Pittsburgh is ranked higher.

[UKyank]

The fact that Heathrow is #10 & CDG is even on the list makes the whole list questionable to me

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by UKyank

I agree - I think if more people used it & it received greater exposure PIT would garner a higher ranking as it really is much better then many of the higher ranked airports I've been through on that list. Though admittedly its transportation links are extremely poor.

If traffic ever did increase significantly though, PIT would have to expand its security screening area as it can back up significantly with even limited flights.

Yep. I went back to SF on Dec 21. Lines went from security check all the way outside. Took well over an hour just to get through security. On less popular travel dates, it's one of the emptiest major airports I've been to. Practically non-existant transportation links. I've only rented a car or taken a cab.