Baggage claim at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) sits on the Arrivals level, the middle level of the new terminal that opened in November 2025. Domestic arriving passengers walk through automated exit lanes straight into a claim hall with eight baggage claim areas organized by airline, nearly double the size of the old claim area. This guide covers where your bags arrive, how long it takes, and exactly what to do when a bag does not show up.
Where Baggage Claim Is
The claim hall is part of the Arrivals level, together with the Welcome Point meet-and-greet space. You do not change levels or buildings: leave the secure area through the automated exit lanes and you are in baggage claim. The airport cut its baggage belt system from about 8 miles of belt to about 3 miles in the new terminal and projects that bags arrive about twice as fast as they did in the old building. Check the overhead displays for your flight’s claim area, since the eight areas are organized by airline.
Baggage claim carousels in an airport terminal (illustrative photo). Photo: Silver Dovelet, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
International Bags Are Different
If you arrive on an international flight without preclearance, you will not use these eight carousels. International passengers claim checked bags inside customs, on the dedicated international baggage system on the lower level of Concourse C, between the primary and secondary inspection areas, then exit through a sterile corridor to the Arrivals level. Passengers arriving from preclearance airports like Toronto or Dublin are treated as domestic on arrival and use the regular claim. Our PIT international flights and customs guide walks through that process.
If Your Bag Does Not Arrive
Delayed, damaged, or lost checked luggage is the airline’s responsibility, not the airport’s. Go to your airline’s baggage service desk or office by the claim area before you leave the airport, and file the report there; the airline will need your bag tag and your contact details. Items left on the aircraft or at a gate or ticket counter also go through the airline. The airport’s own Lost and Found handles things lost elsewhere in the terminal; it sits at the Information Desk on the Ground level near Door 8, and the phone number for both general information and Lost and Found is (412) 472-3525. Our PIT lost and found guide sorts out which office handles what, and the PIT arrivals guide covers meeting your ride once you have your bags.
Luggage awaiting loading at an airport (illustrative photo). Photo: Billy Hathorn, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Good to Know
There are no lockers or luggage storage anywhere at PIT, so bags stay with you. Greeters can wait with you at the Welcome Point on the same level, and the UPMC Terrace entrances sit near the claim area, between carousels 5 and 8, if your party wants fresh air and a view of the airfield while bags come down. Rental car counters are a short walk away in the covered walkway to the Terminal Garage; see our PIT rental car guide.
Plan Your Trip with AirportGo
AirportGo is built for the whole airport journey, before, during, and after your flight. AirportGo does not offer an indoor map of Pittsburgh International yet, so at PIT the app is your trip prep companion: keep your flight details in one place, note your bag tag and claim area in your trip tasks, and save where you parked with the parking reminder. At airports where AirportGo maps already exist, the same app also guides you indoors from the door to your gate.
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