An already big year for Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is ending on one more high note.
The airport — fresh off the opening of its stunning new $1.7 billion terminal — just landed a coveted new route to Europe. That came Thursday, when Irish carrier Aer Lingus said it would begin nonstop flights to its hub at Dublin Airport (DUB).
Flights on Airbus A321neo LR jets will begin May 25, 2026, with connections via Dublin available to more than 30 of the carrier’s other European destinations. Among those: Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Berlin, Venice and Manchester in England.
More: Inside Pittsburgh's glistening new $1.7 billion terminal | Futuristic new signage
The Dublin flights are a win for an airport that has found success in transforming itself into a vibrant regional airport over the past decade.
Once among the busiest airports in the U.S. around the turn of the century, Pittsburgh’s passenger traffic plummeted as US Airways (which merged with American Airlines) dropped the hub that was built to the airline's specifications.
But the airport has enjoyed a renaissance under Christina Cassotis, who assumed PIT’s CEO role in 2015.
The airport focused on rebuilding flight schedules around local market demand — instead of the connecting schedules that defined its US Airways hub days. That’s included an effort to bring back some of the high-profile transatlantic routes that the city enjoyed during its hub heyday.
Aer Lingus' new Pittsburgh-Dublin route
Aer Lingus will give Pittsburgh its first-ever service to Dublin.
It will also be the city's third current transatlantic route (alongside London and Reykjavik).
“We are thrilled to have a partner in Aer Lingus that will serve Pittsburgh’s growing market for nonstop service to Ireland and beyond, and we look forward to welcoming even more European travelers to Pittsburgh,” PIT CEO Cassotis said in a statement announcing the new Dublin flights.
As for Aer Lingus, the addition of Pittsburgh comes amid a broader six-route expansion that also included five intra-Europe routes from Ireland.
The carrier’s new Pittsburgh schedule will see Aer Lingus fly the route four times a week, operating one round trip each Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The service will operate year-round, except for “a brief pause in January and February.”
Flight times are:
- Departs Pittsburgh at 8:40 p.m., arrives in Dublin at 8:40 a.m.
- Departs Dublin at 4:10 p.m., arrives in Pittsburgh at 7:10 p.m.
Tickets are now on sale. Frequent flyers can also redeem rewards on Aer Lingus, which uses the same Avios award currency as a myriad of other carriers in Europe and elsewhere.
Booking Aer Lingus with points and miles
Frequent flyers hoping to use points and miles to fly Aer Lingus have numerous options.
Travelers can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points, Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Bilt Rewards Points directly to Aer Lingus AerClub.
Also important to note: The airline shares the same Avios award currency as British Airways, Iberia, Qatar Airways and Finnair (and others). If you have Avios with any of those airlines, there’s a new tool that will help you transfer Avios directly to Aer Lingus.
To that same end: Capital One cardholders can transfer miles to British Airways Club, and then move those Avios over to Aer Lingus.
Citi ThankYou Rewards members can do the same via Qatar.
Related reading:
- When is the best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare?
- The best airline credit cards
- What exactly are airline miles, anyway?
- 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
- Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
- The best credit cards to reach elite status
- What are points and miles worth? TPG’s monthly valuations
