Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, October 5, 1993 TAG: 9310050058
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: IMPERIAL, PA. LENGTH: Medium
Dark corridors. Dirty furniture. Overpriced meals. Boredom.
Instead, she found a McDonald's, a Chinese restaurant, a gourmet coffee shop and a mom-and-pop joint that bakes 10 flavors of pretzels. On the horizon were a tie shop, a golf shop, a luggage dealer, a jewelry shop and more.
It was Madsen's first visit to Pittsburgh's year-old terminal, a facility, like the newest airports worldwide, that has every fixture of a shopping mall except movie theaters and packs of teen-agers.
And one other major difference: With jets flying overhead, shoppers frequently eye wristwatches to make sure they don't miss connecting flights.
"If you have a layover, there is a lot to do," said Madsen, who was going to Atlantic City, N.J., from Omaha. "You can find a cheap burger. In some airports, it will cost you five bucks for a burger."
The $800 million facility, a USAir hub, is tailor-made for travelers hoping to kill time between flights without emptying their wallets. Jets dock at one of four arms that stretch from a center court, where most of the stores are.
Two-thirds of travelers who board in Pittsburgh International are connecting from another flight, meaning they never need to leave the airside building, which is connected by an underground train to a separate structure where "landside" services such as ticketing, car rental counters and baggage claim are located.
Since the terminal opened last Oct. 1, sales in the Airmall have averaged about $750 per square foot, about three times the annual sales of the top U.S. shopping malls, said BAA-Pittsburgh, a consulting firm that manages the facility.
USAir, which leases 53 of the 75 jet gates and all 22 commuter plane gates, says its Pittsburgh hub is operating in the black for the first time in years because of improved efficiency at the new terminal.
For Roanoke passengers, Pittsburgh is one of three major USAir hubs; the others are Charlotte, N.C., and Baltimore. About 7,600 Roanokers use the Pittsburgh airport per month, either as a destination or to make connections to other flights. There are seven daily round trips between the two cities.
"We are getting more bang for the buck," said USAir spokesman John Bronson. "We think that's partially because we are scheduling smarter and because people in the outlying cities are choosing to connect through Pittsburgh."
In most airports, a single vendor operates all the concessions. The lack of competition results in coffee that costs $1.50 a cup.
At the Pittsburgh airport, the aroma of Big Macs mingles with that of pepperoni from Sbarro pizza. Travelers with more sophisticated tastes can choose from a variety of restaurants and bars. Prices are competitive with the malls.
Other airports have shopping areas, but nothing approaches the magnitude of Pittsburgh's, said Paul Bollinger, senior vice president of the Airport Operators Council, a trade group that represents public airport operators.
by CNB