Arnold Palmer Regional Airport prepares to unveil new terminal, potentially welcome new airline

Arnold Palmer Regional Airport will officially unveil its new terminal to the public on Tuesday. 

But one big question remains: Will a new airline land soon in Latrobe to fill this new space?

As previously reported, the new terminal building is roughly 32,000 square feet, with a price tag of around $22 million that the Westmoreland Airport Authority said has been fully paid for through a variety of public funding amassed over the last 10 years.

The new terminal will be capable of handling several hundred people at its two gates as folks come on and off their planes.

However, now that Spirit Airlines has folded, who will be taking over at Arnold Palmer, and when?

Sources close to the matter tell KDKA-TV that not only will the Westmoreland Airport Authority announce the opening of its new terminal on Tuesday, but also a new budget carrier.

While KDKA-TV cannot officially confirm which new airline will be moving in, as has been previously reported, the three leading contenders are Frontier Airlines, Allegiant Air, and Breeze Airways, which earlier this month just announced new expanded non-stop service from Pittsburgh International Airport to Vero Beach, Florida, Punta Cana, Mexico, and Cancún, Mexico.

No matter which budget airline lands at Arnold Palmer, however, a new federal grant of $850,000 just recently given to the airport stipulates that service must be restored to old Spirit routes that flew from Latrobe to both destinations in Florida as well as Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

KDKA-TV will be on hand for the Westmoreland County Airport Authority's meeting on Tuesday morning and will share the latest information as it becomes available.