Summary
- United Airlines offers nonstop flights to Pittsburgh from 6 cities across the United States which are mainly United hubs.
- There’s a high chance you’ll be flying with United Express if you are flying from United’s East Coast hubs.
- United uses their Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 fleet on flights to Pittsburgh that have larger demand and are a significant distance away.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a blue collar city found in the heart of America’s coal and ore production region. Despite having the moniker as “The Steel City” it also has characteristics of being a progressive city and features many attractions that would make it a great place to visit on a weekend travel visit.
Travelers looking to arrive in Pittsburgh or depart the Steel City utilize Pittsburgh International Airport found a few miles outside Downtown Pittsburgh. One of the major airlines that offer nonstop flights to or from this airport is United Airlines.
In this guide, we’ll uncover more about United’s operations into and from Pittsburgh International Airport including all the routes the airline offers and some of the aircraft that are used on these flights.
What Airport Does United Airlines Fly to In Pittsburgh?
United Airlines Operates From Pittsburgh International Airport
United Airlines flies into Pittsburgh International Airport.
For people from Pittsburgh, this airport is the closest major airport to them. The next major international airports are in Cleveland, Ohio and Erie, Pennsylvania. So travelers either have to fly with the options given to them from Pittsburgh International Airport, or travel hours by car to find alternative options.
Pittsburgh International Airport serves the Greater Pittsburgh region as well as areas close to West Virginia and Ohio.
United does fly to Cleveland International Airport but only provides regional service to a handful of airports in this region. The entire state of West Virginia is served by one regional route between Charleston and Chicago.
With that said, it makes sense why United Airlines has a presence at Pittsburgh International Airport.
United Airlines Terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport
United Airlines flights are found at concourse A at Pittsburgh International Airport in its Airside Terminal. Concourse A features 26 gates where aircraft can park at and passengers can board or deplane.
All ticketing booths for all airlines that fly out of Pittsburgh are found at the carside terminal. The Carside Terminal and Airside Terminal are connected by an underground shuttle train.
Why United Chooses To Fly Into Pittsburgh?
The bulk of the flight offerings to and from Pittsburgh are through United Airlines’ nearby hub cities. Pittsburgh isn’t a highly sought after travel destination like a New York or a Los Angeles would be.
Pittsburgh’s Business Travel Demand
The city is known as being the “Steel and Iron City”. It is located near the iron ore and coal mines of West Virginia. These industries took off during the 19th and 20th century thanks to Pittsburgh’s location near three major waterways that allowed the shipping of these important materials to their final destinations.
However, Pittsburgh has evolved from the blue collar industries and is home to some major white collar companies like Dicks Sporting Goods and PNC Financial Services.
So there is a need for business travel. Much of United’s major business travel destinations like Chicago, Newark, and San Francisco are the cities with flights offered to Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Local College and University Demand
There is also a demand for student travel as well. Pittsburgh is home to the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University, and Carnegie Mellon University.
With students from all over the country converging at United hubs in an attempt to reach Pittsburgh colleges & universities, it would make sense why the airline would offer these nonstop flights from their hubs.
Tourism
Pittsburgh is also known for its architecture and various bridges that cross its rivers. It is also home to the Carnegie Mellon Museum of Natural History and the Andy Warhol Museum.
The local sports scene is also a highly demanded activity in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is home to teams in “Black” and “Gold”, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
These attractions amongst others are also reasons for increased flight demand throughout the year that gives United Airlines the incentive to offer nonstop flights to Pittsburgh.
These Are The 6 U.S Cities That United Operates Nonstop Flights to Pittsburgh
Newark
Newark International Airport is United’s major northeast hub that serves the Greater New York metropolitan region.
States north and east of New York/New Jersey have no direct flights to Pittsburgh. That means those travelers looking to fly to Pittsburgh will have to find a connecting flight to at least Newark, New Jersey.
The route between Pittsburgh and Newark is served by United’s regional brand called “United Express”. Republic Airways flies the flights between Newark and Pittsburgh using aircraft painted in the United Express livery. Republic flies this route with their Embraer 175 aircraft.
Nonstop flights between Newark and Pittsburgh are offered daily, all year round.
Washington D.C
United Airlines offer flights between Washington’s Dulles International Airport and Pittsburgh International Airport.
Washington Dulles is a major United hub that services the Middle Atlantic region found on the East Coast of the United States.
Major cities like Baltimore, Washington D.C and cities as far South as Raleigh, Atlanta and Miami all likely funnel their Pittsburgh demand passenger traffic into Washington D.C for flights to Pittsburgh.
Like the Newark-Pittsburgh flight, this route is also flown under the United Express banner. This time around Republic Airways and Mesa Airlines both jointly fly this route. The flight is completed using the respective airline’s Embraer 170s and Embraer 175s.
Flights between Washington D.C and Pittsburgh are offered everyday, upwards to 3 to 4 times a day.
Chicago
Chicago O’Hare International Airport is home to all flights between Chicago and Pittsburgh.
Chicago represents United’s hub for all travel in the northern portion of the Midwest around the Great Lakes area. Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, the Dakotas, are all served by United’s presence at O’Hare and would need to connect through there to continue forward for a flight to Pittsburgh.
Due to the short range of this flight, this is another route that is flown by United’s Express brand. Republic Airways is the regional airline operating these flights under the United Express banner using their Embraer 170 & 175 aircraft.
However, this is also the first route that the United’s main aircraft fleet is used on. United uses their Airbus A319s, Airbus A320s, and Boeing 737s on flights between Chicago and Pittsburgh. This is likely due to higher passenger demand for travel between these two cities. United’s larger aircraft can accommodate more passengers than regional type aircraft found flying United Express flights.
With added boost from the United’s main fleet, passengers seeking a trip between Pittsburgh and Chicago can find plenty of flights between both cities. United offers this route everyday up to 3 to 4 times per day.
Houston
The “southernmost” city in the United States that United offers a nonstop flight to Pittsburgh is Houston, Texas.
United Airlines utilizes George Bush International Airport for its flights to Pittsburgh. This airport is also another hub for United.
Houston serves as the likely connection airport for travelers from the Southern portion of the Midwest as well as passengers from the Southwest states like Phoenix and New Mexico looking to travel to Pittsburgh.
This route is served by United’s fleet of Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s. This is likely due to the distance between Pittsburgh and Houston. Both of these cities are separated by 1100 miles.
It is also operated under United Express. Mesa Airlines uses their Embraer 175 on this route.
United offers flights between Pittsburgh and Houston every day of the week, up to 3 times per day.
Denver
Denver is another Midwest city that has nonstop flights to and from Pittsburgh. United has a hub based out of Denver International Airport.
Denver serves as the best departure or arrival city for Midwestern passengers who live in Colorado, Utah, Kansas, and the other surrounding states looking to fly nonstop to Pittsburgh.
Flights between Pittsburgh and Denver are flown solely using United’s main aircraft fleet. It has been observed that the airline uses their Boeing 737-800 and 737 Max aircraft on these flights.
It is likely due to the performance requirements needed from aircraft departing and arriving into Denver, a city that sits at an altitude of 5280 feet. Aircraft need more power and efficient engines to operate at high altitude. There is also a demand factor which would facilitate the necessity of larger aircraft that can accommodate more passengers.
Flights between Denver and Pittsburgh are offered three times daily, every day of the week.
San Francisco
The farthest Western city that has a nonstop flight on United to and from Pittsburgh is San Francisco. San Francisco International Airport is a major United hub and is the start or end of the flight between San Francisco and Pittsburgh.
San Francisco serves as the gateway for travel demand to Pittsburgh on the Pacific Coast. California, Washington, Oregon travelers likely connect down to San Francisco to find a nonstop flight to Pittsburgh.
Like the route between Denver and Pittsburgh, United uses their Boeing 737-800 and Max aircraft fleets to operate this flight. The distance between San Francisco and Pittsburgh is over 2500 miles long, necessitating an aircraft that can fly a longer range, which the Boeing 737 can definitely do.
This flight is operated everyday by United Airlines, and offered at least twice a day.
What Aircraft Does United Airlines Use for Flights to Pittsburgh?
Embraer 170 & Embraer 175
The Embraer 170 & 175 are both regional jets that fly under the United Express emblem. They are not owned by United Airlines however, they are owned by actual regional airlines like Republic Airways and Mesa Airlines.
The 170 is the smaller version of this type of regional jet. The 175 is a slightly elongated version. The Embraer 170 can fit up to 70 passengers while the 175 can fit a full 76 passengers, which is the maximum regional jets can fit because of the scope clause.
The benefits of the Embraer 170 & Embraer 175 are that they are newer and are considered very safe aircraft. They can operate into smaller airports as well as international airports like Pittsburgh International Airport without any issues.
If you want to learn more about our experience flying on Republic Airways “United Express” experience, check out our review of a flight from Newark to Grand Rapids on board their Embraer 175.
CRJ 500
The CRJ 500 is the smallest regional jet that United offers flights to and from Pittsburgh on. The Canadair Regional Jet 500 can accommodate 50 – 70 passengers.
They are used in the same capacity as the other regional aircraft flying in the United Express emblem. However, they are more likely used for flights with a short distance, like between Washington D.C or Newark to Pittsburgh.
Embraer RJ 145
The Embraer RJ 145 class accommodates the smallest number of passengers of all the aircraft types used on flights to Pittsburgh tallying close to 50 passengers.
It functions in a identical role as the CRJ 500, used for flights that are shorter in distance from Pittsburgh, like to Newark or Washington D.C
Boeing 737
A large component of the United Airlines domestic fleet is the Boeing 737. United flies several of the latest variants of the 737 including the -800,-900, and Max series into and from Pittsburgh International Airport.
The Boeing 737 typically fits 126 to 179 passengers situated into a 3 passenger class cabin composed of United First, Economy Plus, and Economy. Each class comes with Wifi and an inflight Entertainment System found on the seat back in front of you containing the latest movies and shows.
United Boeing 737 aircraft are very capable aircraft. They are used on the longer flights to Pittsburgh or the highly demanded routes like Houston, Chicago, Denver and San Francisco.
Airbus A319 & Airbus A320
The rival to United’s Boeing 737 is United’s Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft. These aircraft operate in a similar capability as the Boeing 737, safely flying between 126-150 passengers to their final destinations short, medium, and long ways away.
The A319 is the smallest variant of the Airbus A320 class as it is shorter in length, meaning it fits lesser passengers.
The Airbus A320 class is used on flights between Chicago and Pittsburgh. This is because United operates the most flights between Pittsburgh and Chicago forcing the airline to use more types of their aircraft to keep up with demand.
If you would like to learn more about United’s aircraft fleet, check out this guide here.
Sources
https://www.pittsburgh-airport.com/pit-airlines/united-airlines
https://flypittsburgh.com/pittsburgh-international-airport/flights/airlines
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g53449-Activities-c49-Pittsburgh_Pennsylvania.html
https://www.flightconnections.com/route-map-united-airlines-ua
https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/company/aircraft/uniteds-fleet.html
