Pitt Airport Celebrates 20 Years with Planned Upgrades
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Pittsburgh Airport Marks 20th Anniversary, Plans Upgrade
PITTSBURGH -- On Oct. 1, the Allegheny County Airport Authority will celebrate 20 years of the Pittsburgh International Airport at its site.
Concurrently, Airmall USA plans a $10 million upgrade that will create a new retail core in the Center Core of the airside terminal.
The airport also will host Family Fun Day, a public celebration from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 6, which includes guided tours to the airside terminal and Airmall. Event parking will be free, officials said.
Among its accomplishments over 20 years, Pittsburgh International introduced to airport terminals its award-winning Airmall shopping and food court concept, Kidsport play area for children and free wireless Internet access. Pittsburgh International offers 155 nonstop flights a day to 36 cities and its airfares are 10% below the national average. The airport also provides 71,160 jobs, generates nearly $2.1 billion in payroll and produces nearly $5.7 billion in economic activity in the region.
No local tax dollars are used to operate or maintain the airport, which is fully funded from airport users in forms of rent, landing fees, parking, rental cars, concession revenues and passenger fees. The airport, which opened Oct. 1, 1992, is operated and managed by the Allegheny County Airport Authority.
The Airmall revamp is aimed at attracting some of the nation's top brands. "Pittsburgh International Airport remains a critical component of this region's ongoing economic vitality and is an amenity that we want to continue to invest in for our future," said Rich Fitzgerald, Allegheny County executive. "An upgraded concessions program will improve traveler's experiences whether they are visiting here or call this area home."
Airmall Pittsburgh's plan to reconfigure the airside core of shops and restaurants is directly related to a change in passenger traffic. When it began operations, Pittsburgh International Airport served a large number of passengers who had a layover. In line with this, Airmall established a retail core between corridors A and B, where the majority of passengers were making their transfers.
"Airmall's proposal will change the face of the airside terminal by placing retail units front and center when passengers come up the escalator and arrive at the airside terminal," said Jay Kruisselbrink, vice president of development for Airmall USA. "Top retailers will soon be setting up shop in the space currently occupied by the Flight Information Display Screens. This will put the stores squarely in the path of millions of high-value consumers every year, and that will help drive revenue for the airport authority."
The plan calls for the addition of seven units for a total of 74 shops, restaurants, bars and other retail establishments throughout the airport. Once the program is fully operational, Airmall officials expect the enhanced concessions will increase annual revenue by as much as 10% to 20% over current figures.
The agreement to build new concessions also comes with a contract extension for Airmall, which will serve as the concessions developer at the airport through 2029. Construction on the units in the new retail core is expected to be complete by the end of 2013.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.