Pittsburgh International to get additional flights to California, Florida

The expansion of flights at Pittsburgh International Airport continues as the airport announced two sets of expanded service this week.

United Airlines is adding another daily round-trip flight from Pittsburgh to San Francisco International Airport starting Aug. 1, according to a release. The flight will provide daytime flight service between the Steel City and the city by the bay, which is also the home of Silicon Valley.

Jonathan Kersting of the Pittsburgh Tech Council said the additional flight is a boost for Pittsburgh’s growing tech industry, which has added outposts from tech giants like Google, Meta, Apple and others over the years.

“Our technology ecosystem relies on seamless access to investors, partners and customers,” said Kersting in a news release. “These types of connections are vital for continued growth.”

The new United service will add an outbound flight departing from Pittsburgh at 7:30 p.m. local time and arriving in San Francisco at 9:53 p.m. local time. The return flight departs San Francisco at 10:35 a.m. local time and arrives back in Pittsburgh at 6:28 p.m. local time.

Current service between Pittsburgh and San Francisco flies in the early morning and a redeye at night.

Ultra low-cost carrier Breeze Airways also announced this week it will be adding service. Breeze will begin seasonal flights to Ft. Myers, Fla. on Nov. 15.

Breeze joins Southwest Airlines and Spirit in offering direct flights between Pittsburgh and Ft. Myers.

Flights on Breeze between Pittsburgh and Ft. Myers will run Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and will operate from fall to spring.

Breeze has created an official hub at Pittsburgh International since starting service at the airport less than two years ago. The Ft. Myers flight will become the 13th route served by Breeze out of PIT. In 2021, Breeze received about $560,000 from the Allegheny County Airport Authority to subsidize some of its new flights.

Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Pittsburgh International Airport, said she appreciates Breeze’s growth within Pittsburgh. She said the growth shows that demand for travel is increasing at Pittsburgh International.