In a world where every airport has at least 2 Starbucks it's great to see the Pittsburgh Airport making such a strong effort to make the airport a more proper representation of our city for those just passing through or in the terminal for a few hours between flights. They're really stepping up the game in what I will expect from an airport in my travels.
Our group was welcomed with open arms and friendly faces. And lots of samples. Sandwiches, appetizers, coffee, wine...I was stuffed by the time the event ended at Martini with introductions and contest winner announcements. I was surprised to see so many various gluten free, vegetarian and overall healthier options.
And then I learned that a place called The Club exists. It's not exclusive to any airline and anyone can pay to enjoy it for the day. The fee covers all your food and beverage. The food samples were got were inspired by local chef Kate Romane. It's nice to have a good reason to spend all day at the airport.
We even got a swag bag at the end full of some awesome stuff. Even a $10 airmall gift certificate. After the closing festivities and speeches by Yelp Community Manager Rachel and PIT CEO Christina Cassotis, I wandered around the terminal to explore and get my steps in. I enjoyed being there without the pressure of having to make a flight for a change and even went back to see some of the places I stopped by quickly.
The only drawback from the event was the fact that we were racing around to get our passports stamped within the time limit (that ended up being less than the two hours allotted for most of us by the time we got through security). However once we were inside the terminal we could stay there all day. I took my time trying to figure out where to spend that gift certificate and ended up treating myself to some fancy local chocolates.
Thanks again to Yelp and PIT for putting together such an enjoyable and unique event. I think I might be back to the Pittsburgh International Airport for more!