Passenger numbers drop after Spirit Airlines’ collapse
By ADAM BABETSKI
TribLive
Pittsburgh International Airport’s passenger traffic has yet to recover after Spirit Airlines folded in May — a problem that Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO Christina Cassotis said is affecting airports across the United States.
Pittsburgh’s passenger count dropped by 4.2% in August compared to August 2025, from 900,000 to 862,500. Traffic is down 1.5% this year to date.
Cassotis told the airport authority board in a meeting Friday that she spoke with several airport executives at a national conference last week who also reported stagnant passenger counts, mostly due to Spirit folding but also because of high fuel prices driven by the war in Iran.
Spirit blamed those high fuel prices when it shuttered with little warning on May 2. The low-cost airline operated three routes out of Pittsburgh: Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Orlando, Fla. and Myrtle Beach, S.C. Several other airlines still serve each of those destinations from Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh International will welcome two routes in October as it seeks to bounce back: Vero Beach, Fla., via Breeze Airways three times a week, and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., via Allegiant Air four times a week.
Cassotis said that the new flights would help the airport “close the gap” Spirit left.
“We’re doing everything we can to make sure that we are maintaining the service we have (and) positioning ourselves for growth in the future,” she said.
Southwest Airlines remained Pittsburgh’s largest carrier by market share in August, transporting just over 25% of the airport’s passengers. American Airlines, with 21.4%, and Delta Air Lines, with 17.7%, rounded out the top three.
In other board meeting news: The board rejected every construction bid it received to develop the “Greene Spine,” a landscaping project located near the rental car desks in Pittsburgh International’s landside terminal.
Airport spokesman Bob Kerlik said that the costs were higher than officials expected and they would modify the plans before soliciting bids again.
The board formally approved an application for a total of $4.5 million in state grants: The $2 million the airport receives annually for air service development, plus $2.5 million of the $5.25 million in incentives officials promised Aer Lingus to fly from Pittsburgh to Dublin, Ireland.
The board also approved around $1.3 million for equipment manufacturer JBT AeroTech to renovate the boarding bridges that connect the terminal’s gates to aircraft.
Lawmakers, including Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato and State Sen. Nick Pisciottano, joined the board in celebrating Allegheny County Airport’s 95th anniversary, which was the region’s original major airport between 1931 and 1952.
