Beverly Lynn or anyone else's help...Re: PIT airport

[gamas]

We will be flying for the first time next month. We are wanting to stay at one of the nearby hotels and do the shuttle service.

Mostof them begin at 5 am and our flight is scheduled at 6. I am concerned with whether we can make it or not or whether we should just drive ourselves to make sure we are checked in and do not miss our flight.

How crowed is this airport that time of the morning on a Saturday...

Thanks in advance....

 

[safetymom]

The airport itself will probably not be too bad at 6 AM. Usually not any traffic near the airport. I think that is cutting it close though. If they board 1/2 before flight, you only have a 1/2 hour. I think you should get there earlier, you can always check in and have something to eat in the great food court.

PIT is a great airport.

 

[CarolA]

If your hotel is close that should be fine. I arrive at the airport anywhere from 45 min to 60 mintues prior to my flight and don't have any problems. If the PIT airport is like a lot of others there will NOT be anything to do before 5:30 or so at the airport!

I would plan to skycap my bags and go straight to the gate!

 

[safetymom]

PIT is a great airport to hang around in. The food court will be open. My kids and I go out to the airport just to walk around. I am spoiled by PIT. There is also a Kidsport if there are little ones. There is also a shopping mall center court in the airside building but I doubt many places would be open at 5:30. I wouldn't want to cut it close though because sometimes in the early morning hours the skycaps aren't working so you would have to check in at the counter. Sometimes long lines result. I always place it safe and allow extra time. I did the running through the airport like OJ once and swore I would never do it again.

PIT is our home airport.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

what carrier are you flying on? believe it or not I have seen the airport packed as early as 5:30 am. but this is mainly on mon/fri. what day of the week are you traveling? (I worked the tkt cntr from 4 am till 4 pm) remember our airside is one mile from land side and you must go thru security and that hour of the day they usually only have one sometimes 2 lanes open. and for that you must allot 20 min to get thru security and the shuttle then the time to get up to main area to get to the gates. my advice is to check your bags with the skycaps and then head straight to the gate to check in. unfortunately they have been shorthanded in security and in the early hours they don't open all the lanes to get thru security. you should also get the gate number that your flight will take off from so that you will know which concourse to head for. if you need any further info let me know.

 

[cigar95]

I know that new construction has been done at the airport in recent years - including, it seems, those *very* MCO-like shuttle trains. (Cool!)

My question - is it just the check-in terminal that's new, and the gate area is the same as before? I ask this for a purely personal reason - my wife and I began our romance at a USAir gate in October of 1994, and I'd be sad to find out that spot is gone.

(And if you're thinking anything lewd about my story, shame on you! It was completely innocent, I promise!)

 

[DebbieB]

The new terminal opened in 1992 and had the trains from the beginning. So if you met in 1994, then it's the same place. You enter through the landside terminal where you check your bags either at the skycap or inside, get on the train over to the airside terminal where the gates are. It's very similiar to MCO, except that the trains are underground instead of above ground at MCO.

 

[cigar95]

OK Debbie, you speak like one who knows what she's talking about! (When I was there last Monday, there was some sort of commemoration plaque in the landside terminal for something that had opened in 2000 - maybe it was just a refurb or a renaming?)

I guess I was so lovestruck back in '94 I just forgot about the trains.

 

[safetymom]

They named the terminal for a County Commissioner that had died. He was the one who pushed for Alleg. County to build the airport.

They always had the trains, but several months back they added an additional car to the train running on both tracks.

 

[gamas]

Our flight is at 6am with Airtran.

We found out last Tuesday that our charter flight through which e would fly on a direct flight to MCO was cancelled due to US Airways and Royal Travel ending their charters together...

We had the option of being put on another flight and we would not know until about 2 weeks before departure.

I think was bad enough having to search and get the best rate and the best time without ruining our PS plans the day we arrive.

I figured it was better to go early and then rest at the motel and then have some fun and get a mid morning flight home.

Thanks.

Amy

 

[Beverly Lynn]

Air Tran the line is not a fast moving one. my advice to you is take carry on if possible and go right to the gate. and might I add good luck. I was the lead tkt agent at the counter before I walked out. since when did usair and royal travel cancel their charters? I just booked 142 people for a trip with them. we took the entire aircraft.
There was enhancement construction at the airport. they put in glass elevators in the middle of landside and the airport is dedicated to Tom Forrester.

 

[gamas]

I was surprised to find this out after the entire trip was paid and now we are waiting to get almost $800 back from them due to this.

I wonder now if it was just this day. It sounded strange to me and I hit the panic mode so we did not end up driving with our youngest DD who is absolutely miserable to ride in the car with...

Doing the charter was a great idea in our oinion, no changing planes, never flown, etc...

We were to go on 10/13 with them... We did not have a time of departure as of 8/31.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

Usair has a fare of 135 right now to MCO from PIT.