Changes coming to Pittsburgh International Airport checkpoints

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WKBN) — After travelers reported missing flights out of Pittsburgh International Airport earlier in the week due to exceptionally long TSA security lines, the airport is rolling out a new policy that it says will help streamline things.

In a Tuesday Facebook post, the airport advised that passengers should arrive 2.5-3 hours before their early morning flight to accommodate longer ticketing and security lines.

The airport reported that travel volume has increased tremendously during the past several months and that “the surge in passenger volume at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) in the early hours of the morning has started to exceed the capacity of the security checkpoints.”

TSA screened 2.99 million travelers nationwide on June 23. It set a record for the most people screened in a single day in TSA’s 22-year history. Additionally, TSA reports that seven of its 10 busiest days in history have taken place since mid-May.

On Thursday, The Transportation Security Administration along with Pittsburgh International Airport announced that starting July 8, from 4-7 a.m. on Mondays-Fridays, the alternate checkpoint will be dedicated exclusively to TSA precheck passengers, while the main checkpoint will be dedicated to non-precheck passengers.

Precheck lanes at the main checkpoint will not be open during this new window. However, after 7 a.m., a TSA PreCheck lane will be available at the main checkpoint through 8 p.m. The alternate checkpoint may reopen during the day on an as-needed basis, dependent on passenger volume to serve both TSA PreCheck and non-TSA PreCheck travelers, the airport states.

Signs will be posted in the terminal to inform travelers of this change as they arrive at the terminal and make their way to the TSA checkpoints.

TSA says the move will expedite the screening process, maximize space and minimize line wait times for all travelers at both checkpoints.

Even with the new process, travelers who are booked on early morning flights still are advised to get into the airport terminal at least two to three hours prior to their scheduled departure time.

Nationwide, TSA expects to screen more than 32 million people from Thursday, June 27, through Monday, July 8, which is a 5.4% increase over 2023 Independence Day holiday travel volumes.

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