Planes on Time, Few Lines, Facilities Clean at Pittsburgh Airport, Travelers Say

Jackie Whitaker and her husband didn’t have much trouble traveling Sunday afternoon from Phoenix to Pittsburgh, but the Elk County woman said at least one thing was striking: The planes and airports have never looked cleaner.

“Even as we were still getting off the plane, they were wiping off the seats,” said her colleague and fellow traveler, Sutton Lecker, 47, also of Elk County.

Whitaker was especially impressed at how many employees she saw bustling about the airport disinfecting common surfaces every few minutes.

“As soon as people were coming out of the bathroom and in the stalls, people were cleaning, wiping doors down,” said Whitaker, 40, a customer service representative who left Pittsburgh on Tuesday for an insurance course.

Travelers reported moving relatively easily through the gates, terminals and security checkpoints at Pittsburgh International Airport this weekend.

Planes came and left on time.

Many ticket counters had little to no lines.

Whitaker and her traveling companions remarked on the pleasantly sunny weather and 50-degree temperature as they rolled their baggage toward the airport’s extended parking lot.

They checked their phones to see reports of travel problems elsewhere and caught up on the latest local updates related to the novel coronavirus — including that four people are now infected in Allegheny County and places such as Rivers Casino have closed. The Talking Stick Resort & Casino, where Whitaker stayed during her trip, was up and running as usual in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The scene at Pittsburgh airport was a stark contrast to reports of throngs of people crammed shoulder-to-shoulder for hours at the 13 U.S. airports designated for arrivals from more than two dozen European countries.

The passengers, many of them rushing home because of fears they would be stuck in Europe, were screened by federal customs and homeland security agents for coronavirus symptoms before they were allowed to leave the airport.

“We didn’t run into any of that,” Whitaker said.

Pittsburgh airport spokesman Bob Kerlik confirmed no such security delays or lengthy wait times were affecting travelers this weekend.

By 6 p.m. Sunday, every domestic flight had landed on time at PIT except for one morning American Airlines cancellation out of Philadelphia.

The only plane coming from overseas was a British Airways flight that runs four times a week from London’s Heathrow Airport, scheduled to land at about 8:30 p.m., with another flight to depart to London around 10:30 p.m.

The airport’s 90-person cleaning staff recently began ramping up deep-cleaning routines

“The airport has increased cleaning frequencies at all high-touchpoint areas including handrails, elevator buttons, door handles, tables, public desks and chairs,” the airport said in a statement last week.

A couple who landed in Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon from Georgia said they noticed hand sanitizer available in every bathroom stall at Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport — where security waits were not lengthy from the domestic traveling side.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, both Democrats, lambasted the Trump administration for allowing about 3,000 Americans returning from Europe to be stuck for hours inside the customs area at O’Hare International Airport on Saturday, violating federal recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that people practice “social distancing.”

Long lines also formed Saturday in Boston, Dallas and other airports that are accepting return flights from Europe.

“People were forced into conditions that are against CDC guidance and are totally unacceptable,” Lightfoot said.

Conditions were better Sunday, but lines could again grow as the day progresses and more flights arrive. Not every U.S. airport accepting European arrivals experienced overcrowding. Airports serving Miami, Seattle, Los Angeles and Newark, reported short lines at customs Saturday and Sunday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican and strong supporter of the president, tweeted Sunday that the lines in Dallas were “unacceptable & I’m working hard to get it fixed.” He said he had contacted the head of Homeland Security, acting Secretary Chad Wolf.

President Donald Trump defended the administration’s actions in a tweet Sunday.

“We are doing very precise Medical Screenings at our airports. Pardon the interruptions and delays, we are moving as quickly as possible, but it is very important that we be vigilant and careful. We must get it right. Safety first!” he wrote.

Acting Customs and Border Patrol Commissioner Mark Morgan said in a statement Sunday that the agency is making improvements to its procedures, but it must “balance our efficiencies with ensuring the health and safety of all American citizens through enhanced medical screening.”

The delayed travelers from Europe were forced to land at the following 13 airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York; Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Illinois; San Francisco International Airport (SFO), California; Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Washington; Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), Hawaii; Los Angeles International Airport, (LAX), California; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Georgia; Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD), Virginia; Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), New Jersey; Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Texas; Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW), Michigan; Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Massachusetts; and Miami International Airport (MIA), Florida.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Natasha Lindstrom is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Natasha at 412-380-8514, [email protected] or via Twitter .

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