An already great year for Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is ending on a higher note.
The airport, recently inaugurated Impressive new terminal valued at 1.7 billion dollars – just landed a coveted new route to Europe. That happened on Thursday, when Irish airline Aer Lingus said it would begin non-stop flights to its hub at Dublin Airport (DUB).
Flights on Airbus A321neo LR aircraft will begin on May 25, 2026, with connections via Dublin available to more than 30 of the airline’s other European destinations. Among them: Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Berlin, Venice and Manchester in England.
Further: Inside Pittsburgh’s shiny new $1.7 billion terminal | New futuristic signage
The flights to Dublin are a victory for an airport that has managed to transform itself into a vibrant regional airport over the last decade.
Once one of the busiest airports in the United States at the beginning of the century, Pittsburgh passenger traffic plummeted when US Airways (which merged with American Airlines) abandoned the center that was built to the airline’s specifications.
But the airport has enjoyed a renaissance under Christina Cassotis, who took over as PIT CEO in 2015.
The airport focused on rebuilding flight schedules based on local market demand, rather than the connecting schedules that defined its core US Airways days. That includes an effort to bring back some of the high-profile transatlantic routes the city enjoyed during its heyday.
The new Aer Lingus Pittsburgh-Dublin route
Aer Lingus will offer Pittsburgh its first service to Dublin.
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It will also be the city’s third current transatlantic route (along with London and Reykjavik).
“We are delighted to have a partner in Aer Lingus who will serve the growing Pittsburgh market for non-stop services to Ireland and beyond, and we look forward to welcoming even more European travelers to Pittsburgh,” PIT CEO Cassotis said in a statement announcing the new flights to Dublin.
As for Aer Lingus, the addition of Pittsburgh comes amid a six route expansion that also included five routes within Europe from Ireland.
The airline’s new schedule in Pittsburgh will see Aer Lingus fly the route four times a week, operating a round trip every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The service will operate throughout the year, except for “a brief break in January and February.”
The flight schedules are:
- Departs Pittsburgh at 8:40 pm and arrives in Dublin at 8:40 am
- It leaves Dublin at 4:10 p.m. and arrives in Pittsburgh at 7:10 p.m.
Tickets are now on sale. Frequent flyers can also redeem rewards on Aer Lingus, which uses the same Avios award currency as many other airlines in Europe and beyond.
Book Aer Lingus with points and miles
Frequent travelers looking to use points and miles to fly with Aer Lingus have plenty of options.
Travelers can transfer American Express Membership Rewards Points, Chase Ultimate Rewards Points and Bilt Reward Points directly to Aer Lingus AerClub.
It’s also important to note that the airline shares the same Avios award currency as British Airways, Iberia, Qatar Airways and Finnair (and others). If you have Avios with any of these airlines, there is a new tool which will help you transfer Avios directly to Aer Lingus.
To the same end: Capital One cardholders can transfer miles to British Airways Club and then transfer those Avios to Aer Lingus.
Citi ThankYou Rewards members can do the same through Qatar.
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