Pittsburgh International continues ascent in passengers

Passenger traffic grew in 2011 at Pittsburgh International Airport for the second consecutive year, officials said on Friday. “We expect that to continue in 2012,” said Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO and Executive Director Brad Penrod. The authority said the Pittsburgh airport had 8,268,440 passengers last year, up 1.3 percent from 2010. Airlines filled about 83 percent of their available seats. Three airlines — US Airways, Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines — had at least 1 million passengers apiece, demonstrating a diversity of service that was nonexistent when US Airways operated a hub in Pittsburgh and carried more than 80 percent of passengers. Read more