Airport Terminals

Tiny tour of Pittsburgh International Airport’s new terminal

Pretty much everyone who flies to or from Pittsburgh, PA is looking forward to the opening of the new landside terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT).

This $1.5 billion project is about 80% complete and will wrap up later this year with an opening date set for fall.

The Stuck at the Airport team stopped by for a hard hat tour to see how things were going.

Here’s a tiny tour of Pittsburgh International Airport’s new landside terminal, in progress.

Travel tidbits from airports near you

Pittsburgh Int’l Airport’s new terminal is almost done

(Image courtesy Gensler)

Later this week, we’ll be doing a hard hat tour of Pittsburgh International Airport’s new terminal, visiting the airport’s in-terminal day care center (yes, they have one!) and checking in on some of our favorite art pieces at PIT.

Stay tuned for pics.

Fresh art at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

SEA is the home base airport for the Stuck at the Airport team, and one thing we love about the airport is all the art. It’s wonderful and, often, reassuring to see favorite pieces before or after a flight.

And it’s always a treat to spot new art being added to the collection.

It’s not crazy to celebrate an anniversary at an airport

Our tradition of celebrating milestone anniversaries at new or cool airport hotels, such as the Hilton with a rooftop lounge that opened at Nashville International Airport not too long ago, made it into this Washington Post article about airport hotels.

This article is a perfect match for a story we wrote back in 2018 about the first airport hotels.

Airport hotels are no longer dominated by the staid, cheap, bed-for-a-night abodes that were standard for so many decades. New accommodations hark back to the luxury of early aviation, featuring top-notch amenities enjoyable by all. My latest in the @washingtonpost.com.

Edward Russell (@byerussell.com) 2025-04-22T13:06:28.199Z

California’s Long Beach Airport celebrates its centennial with cool posters

To celebrate its centennial year, California’s Long Beach Airport (LGB) is releasing a series of four vintage-style posters that are sure to be collectible.

The first poster, pictured above, is titled “Early Days of Aviation.” This poster celebrates the early 1900s when Long Beach’s sandy shoreline served as the runway.

In this poster, onlookers are amazed as early aviator Earl S. Daugherty—who later helped establish the Airport—soared through the air in an early Curtiss Flyer Model D.

The second poster, “Historic Terminal,” pays homage to the airport’s historic terminal building, which was completed in 1941.

A City-designated Historic Landmark, the architectural gem was designed by architects William Horace Austin and Kenneth Smith Wing in a Streamline Moderne style.

Poster three was released on Wednesday.

The “Keep ‘Em Flying” poster celebrates Long Beach’s robust aircraft manufacturing history and its significant contributions during World War II. In Long Beach women of all backgrounds became Rosie the Riveters, working around the clock to produce military aircraft such as the B-17 at the Douglas Aircraft Company.

The final poster, “Welcome to Long Beach,” celebrates Long Beach’s unique climate, tourism, and manufacturing industries that now help the city thrive. In this poster, a DC-3 is pictured above beach waves, We’ll post that image when it drops.

Once released, the posters will be available free of charge at the Saturday, July 27 grand reopening and public open house of LGB’s Historic Terminal, which recently underwent a major renovation and restoration.

While we wait for those other posters to be released, here’s a video about the renovation of the history terminal at Long Beach Airport.

What’s Inside The New Terminal A at Newark Liberty Int’l Airport (EWR)

We haven’t been there in person just yet. But we’re delighted to see the photos the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey is sharing of the new $2.7-billion terminal Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).

The new terminal replaces the old Terminal A which first opened in 1973 and features fresh passenger amenities, impressive artwork, digital technology, and more than 60 regional dining and retail outlets representing national, global, and local brands.

Stretching out over more than one million square feet, the new Terminal A at EWR has 33 gates, and common-use check-in, security, and baggage claim areas built to easily handle an estimated 13.6 million passengers a year. Flights for Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Jet Blue and United Airlines will operate out of this terminal.

The seating areas are diverse and inviting. And the kid’s play areas look like so much fun.

Fresh Art in Terminal A at Newark Liberty Int’l Airport

And then there’s all the art. The work of 29 local artists is included in the terminal, with two major pieces serving as permanent anchor installations.

Karyn Olivier’s aluminum and stainless steel work, titled Approach, is made of up two 50-foot suspended sculptures that celebrate flight with different views of Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey in daytime and at night.

Between the Future Past, a mural by Layqa Nuna Yawar, celebrates the diversity of Newark, New Jersey, and the New York metropolitan area.

Photo by Zack DeZon, Courtesy Public Art Fund NY

More details to come once we get in there and walk the terminal from one end to the other.

(All photos courtesy Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, except where noted).

DFW has a Fast Pass & pre-made gates. Plus: Pendleton Round-Up returns.

Cut the TSA line AND get free food at DFW

A new amenity that may soon become an airport staple is a program that allows travelers to reserve a time to pass through the TSA checkpoint.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) offers this service – called SEA Spot Saver – from 4 am to noon – at several checkpoints.

Now Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is piloting a similar program.

Launched this week, the DFW Fast Pass program allows travelers who don’t have TSA Precheck or Clear to make a reservation to go to the front of the checkpoint line at the Terminal D checkpoint D18. There is no cost to use the service and reservations can be made up to 7 days in advance.

And, as a nice bonus, DFW is giving passengers who use the service a complementary food or retail offering (while supplies last).

DFW plug-in gates

As part of DFW’s Terminal C renovation, the airport shared a timelapse video of its “High C” gates being moved onto piers at the terminal. Take a look – this may be the way all airport terminals get built in the future.

Where We’d Go: The Pendleton Round-Up

Incorporating many community traditions and the dedication of hundreds of volunteers, the 111-year-old Pendleton Round-Up – one of the country’s oldest rodeos – is back this year and ready to roll in a tiny town in eastern Oregon that is so very Old West.

The festivities include Main Street Cowboy shows, an outdoor cowboy breakfast, and the Westward Ho! Parade, which may be the largest non-motorized parade in the U.S. The real action though is in the historic Pendleton Round-Up Arena, where the classic greeting isn’t ‘hello’ or even ‘howdy,’ but ‘Let’er Buck!” Events include Bareback Bronc Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding, Bull Riding, and Steer Roping, among others.

This rodeo even has its own whiskey. The multi-million-dollar annual licensing fee helps boost the rodeo’s operating budget and contributes to the economic well-being of Pendleton. The town has a year-round population of about 16,000 but welcomes more than 50,000 visitors during the Round-Up.