Updated December 14, 2025
Love Pittsburgh, but have the travel bug? Check out these amazing flights from Pittsburgh’s new international terminal!
Why Fly from Pittsburgh International Airport
I will be the first person to tell you that I LOVE Pittsburgh. I’ve lived in six states and two countries and I couldn’t be happier to be settled here. But I also love traveling.
When I first moved here, I was disappointed that it felt like the Pittsburgh airport didn’t really have that many flights. But since moving here, there’s been a ton of great movement on getting PIT more and better flight options.
In the four years I’ve lived in Pittsburgh, I’ve been traveling a lot.
Here are some of my flight recommendations for the best flights from Pittsburgh from each time of year! All of them are direct flights. Note that since I’m an outdoor adventure person, a lot of the time you’ll fly into a city and then use a rental car or public transit to get outside the city to find a hike.
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Best Flight from PIT in January: Southern California
Route: PIT > LAX
Airline: Breeze
Description: A southern California adventure is just what the doctor ordered after the holidays are over. If you want to stay in LA, the better weather and more chill hotel prices make it a great destination. However, it’s also a great jumping off point for other places in SoCal, such as Palm Springs, Newport Beach, or Malibu. You’re not going to have true SoCal weather but it is WAY better than whatever weather Pittsburgh is serving up in January.
I backpacked the Trans Catalina Trail in January 2024 and then hung out in Newport Beach to work remotely after. I used to live in Orange County and winter beach is my favorite beach. While you may risk bad weather, the payoff of a non-crowded beach is totally worth it.
Insider Tip: If you’re ok with having a connection, the great thing about Southern California is that there are a lot of airports options. John Wayne Airport (SNA) is a much more chill airport and if you’re hanging out in Orange County, it’s the better airport to fly into. Long Beach (LGB) is also a chill airport and is a little closer to San Pedro, where you’ll catch the ferry for the TCT.
For more information about the amazing bucket list experience that is backpacking the TCT, check out my guide to the Trans Catalina Trail!
Best Flight from PIT in February: Orlando
Route: PIT > MCO (Orlando)
Airline: Southwest
Description: We all know that February is a ROUGH month to live in Pittsburgh. It’s cold, it’s precipitating, and you haven’t seen the sun since that one random sunny day last December. Why not head to Florida?? I fly into Orlando and then head to Cocoa Beach on the Space Coast for a more chill vibe. Check out mangrove kayaking and my favorite restaurant, The Tiny Turtle.
Insider Tip: Book early! You’ll be competing with February break for area schools as well as some major cheerleading competition at Disney depending on what time of the month you go.
Best Flight from PIT in March: Phoenix
Route: PIT > PHX
Airline: Southwest
Description: When the winter SADs are really in full swing and it seems like there’s no sunshine in sight, grab a flight to Phoenix. I loved my girl’s trip to Sedona in 2024. I flew into Phoenix, spent a day there, and then drove up to Sedona. My friend and I got our fill of sunshine by hiking, biking, and exploring to our heart’s content. If you’re willing to get up with the sunrise, you can fit A LOT of hiking into a couple of days.
Insider Tip: If you’re traveling in a group, check to see if someone in your group gets a discounted rental car through their company. They can often be half the price!
Best Flight from PIT in April: New York City
Route: PIT > LGA
Airline: Delta,
Description: I am obviously super passionate about the outdoors. But New York City is a special place to visit that should be on everyone’s budget list. April is a perfect time to hit good weather for a stroll in Central Park while eating pizza and bagels. If you plan a trip for mid to end of the month, you’ll get to see peak cherry blossoms. A Broadway show and a museum (or three) are also must visit stops when in the City.
Insider Tip: If you go for a three day weekend, hit up the museums on the Friday instead of weekends so that you’re going on the least busy day.
Best Flight from PIT in May: London
Route: PIT > London
Airline: British Airways
Description: British Airways direct flight from Pittsburgh to Heathrow was such a needed connection to Europe. I’ve taken this flight twice, both as a connection to Italy in 2023 and on my trip to England in 2025. The British Airway staff are super friendly and I love that it’s a red eye so that you can maximize your time on the ground in London.
Insider tip: When packing, keep an eye out on baggage restrictions as British Airways “hand luggage” rules are slightly smaller than most US airlines. They are also STRICT and will check to make sure your bag meets restrictions so don’t mess around (and make sure to keep valuables and medications in your hand luggage bag in case your carry-on gets gate checked).
If you want a great adventure vacation, check out our guide to hiking the 80 mile Cumbria Way in the Lake District in England.
Best Flight from PIT in June: Seattle
Route: PIT > SEA
Airline: Alaska Airlines
Description: I had never been to Washington State until June 2024 when I met up with some friends for a long weekend. Seattle is such a fun city, with a ton to do for outdoorsy folks. The food was amazing and the brewery scene was so fun. I really enjoyed exploring Gas Works Park and walking around each neighborhood.
While the city of Seattle is awesome in June, I also highly recommend renting a car and heading up to the mountains. We did some great hiking up near Leavenworth. But pack carefully – some of the mountains still had snow on top!
Insider Tip: Even if you have TSA PreCheck, get to Sea-Tac airport EARLY. Sometimes they don’t honor PreCheck and it’s really hard to figure out when they do and don’t. Also, if you have the cash to upgrade to economy plus, it was worth it. I had the entire row of seats to myself for the 3 hr and 55 min red eye home.
Best Flight from PIT in July: Boston
Route: PIT > BOS (to rent a car to go to Maine)
Airline: Delta, JetBlue
Description: Boston is a great city and I used to go every October for Head of the Charles. But I loved visiting in July. The schools are out of session, so you can explore campuses to re-live your co-ed life. The city is also not crowded as folks empty out on the weekends to head to the Cape. While you could fly in, rent a car, and join the exodus to the cape, you could also head further north for some great hiking.
In 2024, I went to Portland Maine for the first time via some adventures in New Hampshire and I loved it. Portland is an adorable town and there’s so much to do in the area. Now knowing how easy it was to get to Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire from the Boston Airport, I will definitely be doing this again to explore the area more.
Insider Tip: Keep good track of your rental car bill. Despite being a Hertz Gold Club member (I’m not fancy, it’s free), they charged me for gas despite the fact that I filled the car up right before the airport. I had to fight it with the rental car company.
If you have outdoorsy friends, check out my guide to the best outdoorsy bachelorette in Portland, Maine!
Best Flight from PIT in Aug: Iceland
Route: PIT > KEF (Reykjavik)
Airline: Iceland Air
Description: Iceland was one of the first trips my husband and I did from Pittsburgh. We literally moved into our house on a Thursday and flew out on the Saturday. We rented a van for $500 and bummed our way around Iceland’s Ring Road for eight days.
It was one of my favorite trips I’ve ever done and I can’t wait to go back. The seasonal Iceland Air flight from PIT makes it easier than ever to escape to this rugged and beautiful landscape. If you only a week or less, I’d recommend staying closer to Reykjavik so that you don’t have to spend your entire trip driving. While we did the entire Ring Road in eight days, I would have much preferred ten or more to explore the area more.
Insider Tip: If you plan to visit the Blue Lagoon, it’s located pretty close to the Reykjavik airport. There is nothing like coming off a red eye flight where you got under an hour of sleep to relax in the Blue Lagoon’s waters. It’s expensive, but I felt like it was a life bucket list stop and absolutely worth the price.
Check out our guide to seven days of van life in Iceland or tips for traveling to Iceland on a budget!
Best Flight from PIT in September: Denver
Route: PIT > DEN
Airline: Southwest
Description: Everything is bigger and better out west! Colorado fall is totally different from East Coast fall and that’s why it’s a great mid to late September destination. The yellow aspens are insanely beautiful and the cooler temperatures are welcome after a hot East Coast summer.
While Denver is a great place to spend a weekend, I’d recommend renting a car and heading up to the mountains. Georgetown, Leadville, Copper, and many other mountain towns offer great jumping off points for leaf peeping. Make sure to wake up early and have backup plans in case the trailhead parking lot you planned is full!
Insider Tip: If you’re headed to the mountains, plan accordingly. I-70 can get insanely backed up at busy times headed into the mountains (Friday afternoons, for example). If you can make it work, I’d recommend a Thursday afternoon flight out and then immediately picking up the rental car and driving to the mountains.
Check out my guide to the perfect weekend in Georgetown, Colorado! [COMING SOON]
Best Flight from PIT in October: Austin
Route: PIT > AUS
Airline: Southwest
Description: If you want to push off winter, head to Texas for extended summer temperatures. Austin’s fun vibe is great for a girl’s weekend or a big friend get together. I loved going dancing on Sixth Street, eating a ton of Mexican food, and hanging out near Lady Bird Lake. Austin also has a ton of fun events, festivals, and there’s never a shortage of anything fun to do!
Insider Tip: Austin hosts a lot of festivals, so check your weekends in advance. Austin City Limits (ACL) is usually in October, which means hotels can get pricy especially closer to your dates.
Best Flight from PIT in November: Nashville
Route: PIT > BNA
Airline: Allegiant & Southwest
Description: If you love live music and Southern hospitality, head to Nashville in November. It’s warmer than Pittsburgh and isn’t so cold you can’t walk around Broadway. Head downtown to wander Vanderbilt’s campus, wander along Broadway and pop into whatever live music seems most like your scene. My favorite bar here was Acme Feed & Seed, which has a roof top bar in good weather but delicious food and cocktails all year round.
Insider Tip: If someone offers you a bushwhacker, don’t drink it. Booze and dairy do NOT mix. TRUST ME. I also highly recommend picking a hotel walking distance from downtown (even if it’s a long walk) as the ride shares here can get really expensive.
Best Flight from PIT in December: Minneapolis
Route: PIT > MSP
Airline: Delta
Description: December in Pittsburgh can be hit or miss for true wintery conditions. Sometimes we get snow, sometimes we just freeze and it’s gray. If you long for winter adventure, fly to Minneapolis for all the “real” winter activities. Ice fishing, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing galore!
Insider Tip: Winter weather in both destinations can make this trip tricky, so be patient with delays (and ask for a rental car with 4WD if you’re headed out of the city!)
Airports for Positioning Flights Near Pittsburgh
Driving to another airport to get a flight is called positioning. I often do this to get a cheaper direct flight or make sure I’m not risking any of my precious vacation time by missing a connection. Depending where you’re located in the city or surrounding area, some of these airports might be way closer (ex: North Hills is a lot closer to Cleveland than out near Monroeville).
Positioning is only worth it to me if you can get a flight that’s way cheaper or a flight that is direct. Dulles is a little under four hour drive from Pittsburgh and has a lot more international flights than Pittsburgh does, so this is the main airport we use for positioning.
- Cleveland (CLE) – ~2.25 hours from Pittsburgh
- Dulles (IAD) – ~4 hours from Pittsburgh
- Detroit – ~4 hours from Pittsburgh
- Baltimore (BWI) – ~4 hours from Pittsburgh
How to Get to the Pittsburgh Airport
Parking at the Pittsburgh Airport
From where I live (two tunnels and a bridge away from the airport), it’s way cheaper for me to pay for parking at the airport than to get a Lyft/Uber there and back unless I am traveling for two weeks or more (wild, I know).
If you book online, economy parking can be as low as $8 a day vs $12 a day if you drive up day of and you are guaranteed a spot. I usually try to book at least two weeks out to make sure that I have a spot. Unfortunately, with the new airport, you now have to wait for a shuttle instead of just walking to the terminal. But so far, my experience with the shuttle has been super quick and easy.
You get a QR code on your phone and you scan it to enter and exit the parking lot. So easy! To make sure I’m ready to enter the parking lot, I screenshot the QR code and save it to an “Important Documents” photo album on my phone. That way it’s super easy to pull up when I get there.
Make sure that if you’re traveling in winter months, you have an ice scraper and some layers in your car for the return. Ask me how I know (it’s because I had to scrape an inch of ice off my car in ten degree weather in just a puffy and a beanie after coming back from California in January at 1am – would not recommend to a friend).
Getting a Bus to the Pittsburgh Airport
The 28X is the airport line. This is the most reasonably priced way to get to and from the airport. Depending on where you live and if you have friends or family willing to make a short drive, it may make sense to get dropped off closer to a direct bus route to the airport.
What’s your favorite flight from Pittsburgh? Am I missing any good ones? Let me know in the comments!