Part of Pittsburgh International Airport may be demolished (Elim: home, maintenance)

[gg]

According to the article the airport is much too big and should be downsized because it feels empty.

http://www.post-gazette.com/business...s/201608110095

[Moby Hick]

Probably a good idea, but then why is Southwest making me trek to the far end of A Concourse to board planes?

[speagles84]

At first I thought this is just the airport admitting failure. But if the gates they plan to eliminate are obsolete, then from a money and maintenance standpoint maybe this is a good idea.

[Blackbeauty212]

And they're not physically demolishing any of the Airports body.. It will still have its X design. They're just removing gates to help it look less empty. I'm on board with this. And the Airport Executive stated the gates can easily be restored should growth ever exceed the reduced capacity.

[AaronPGH]

Agreed, if they're obsolete then I guess it makes sense. The airport finally seems to be in great hands with Christina Cassotis. Jumping from 37 destinations to 58 since she took over is pretty major. Once an airport has momentum like that it starts to fuel itself. Can't wait to see what they pull off next.

[MountainDewGuy]

"Eliminating gates could reduce operation and maintenance costs, provide more savings to the airlines, free up money for needed capital improvements, and create an airport more representative of the region’s arts, culture, and economic vibrancy, Ms. Cassotis said."

And there it is. Someone has an idea to spend lots of money on something else at the airport, and needs to "downsize" the current structure to make the "capital improvements" more tolerable.

Here's an idea. Use the savings from downsizing the airport on the hundreds of millions of dollars of debt still owed on the airport.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

Probably a good idea, but then why is Southwest making me trek to the far end of A Concourse to board planes?

Because exercise is good for you..😀

I'm always amazed the mall section is still open. That's what I figured they would take out before I read the article.

When I fly in to Pittsburgh, the airport doesn't seem empty. I feel I'm still in a crush of people, even though I duck into the phone kiosk area to call my sister, the head to the restroom and take my time, then head to the luggage carousel. I take my sweet time because I'll be sitting outside waiting any way.

I'll have to pay attention when I come home in October...

[AaronPGH]

^^ It really just depends on when you're there. During peak flight banks the place still feels like a hub, but then once those have left before the next arrivals, it gets sad really quickly.

[PITairport]

Originally Posted by speagles84

At first I thought this is just the airport admitting failure. But if the gates they plan to eliminate are obsolete, then from a money and maintenance standpoint maybe this is a good idea.

The gates are pretty much all the same, so if one is obsolete then they all are. I don't get Ms. Cassotis' "obsolete" remark. How are they obsolete? To be clear, gates are the inside waiting areas, not the jetway (boarding bridge to the aircraft). They already removed several jetways. In the next 10 years the majority of aircraft serving PIT will be new generation B-737s, A-320s, and larger regional jets. There is nothing about them that would make the current gates obsolete.

Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212

And they're not physically demolishing any of the Airports body..

Physically demolishing part of the terminal is exactly what they are talking about. That costs money. Why do this.... just to make the airport look less empty.

[gg]

Originally Posted by PITairport

The gates are pretty much all the same, so if one is obsolete then they all are. I don't get Ms. Cassotis' "obsolete" remark. How are they obsolete? To be clear, gates are the inside waiting areas, not the jetway (boarding bridge to the aircraft). They already removed several jetways. In the next 10 years the majority of aircraft serving PIT will be new generation B-737s, A-320s, and larger regional jets. There is nothing about them that would make the current gates obsolete.



Physically demolishing part of the terminal is exactly what they are talking about. That costs money. Why do this.... just to make the airport look less empty.

Thanks for chiming in PITairport. Nice to hear from someone that really knows the business well. Cassotis's remarks sounds like the typical remarks people make when they want to force something through. You know when someone wants to tear down a building, they say, well the roof is caving in or whatever it takes to promote their cause. Obsolete makes no sense at all of course. How else are you going to board a plane? If our gates are obsolete then so are the ones at every airport.

Personally, I wish they wouldn't tear anything down. Nothing wrong with open spaces. Sure when I arrive from ATL and compare the two airports, PIT is dead, but it is relaxing. Maybe embrace that and play nice music and such and also get rid of that news feed that is on the screen above the security checkpoint. That is horrible! No one wants to see all the terrorist crap and more when getting on a plane. Geez, what about using some common sense!