This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, which operates Pittsburgh International Airport and Allegheny County Airport. This story has been edited for length and clarity.
I never thought of working at an airport ever.
My dad was a military fighter pilot in the Vietnam War and then got recruited by Pan Am World Airways, so he would be flying to really exciting places around the world while my friend’s parents were coming home from dinner every night. My dad was in Dhaka, or Buenos Aires, or Tokyo. So, in a very small New Hampshire town, I had this big view of the world.
I come from a PR background and ended up working at Boston’s Logan Airport early in my career for almost five years. Through a project, I met the owner of a consulting company who recruited me, and I spent the next 17 years consulting for airports around the world. In the US, I was very focused on how airports could help attract more airlines and the right airlines, and in Europe, I was really focused on doing due diligence for infrastructure investors.
In 2014, I got recruited to see if I’d be interested in running Pittsburgh International Airport. I initially said no. I had recently gotten an MBA from MIT, and even though I loved consulting, I really wanted an operational role. And I really wanted a place where I could prove the thesis that you can run a really good public utility like a business.
When I took the job, I really didn’t come to run the airport. I came to change the industry in the US.
An airport is almost like a small city
There are no average days. This job is great for people who are really comfortable with a lot of uncertainty. Things happen every day. We have to operate 24/7, 365. People count on us for that.
I would say 50% of my job is reactive and 50% is proactive. I have meetings with my staff and one-on-ones with my direct reports on a regular basis. We cover what everyone needs to know is happening. The coordination and dependencies are no joke.
During the busy holiday travel season, we pay a lot of attention to prepping for winter operations, prepping our snow crews, making sure we have the right amount of chemicals for plowing runways, and taking care of roadways and pedestrian areas.
On any given day, you could have a security incident, and that changes the tone and tenor of the day. We are prepared for lots of uncertainty, and we train for it, we drill for it, and we have communications ready to go for it.
There are plans and systems in place so we are ready for every scenario. We have our own fire department on our team. They respond every day to probably three or four incidents that could be lifesaving incidents in the terminal. It’s almost like we’re a small city. There’s an incredible network of individuals who are ready every day for something to go sideways.
A lot of what goes on at airports happens behind the scenes
There’s a lot that goes on that passengers don’t see or notice. In some ways, I think that’s a credit to the teams that make it look easy.
We’re running an entire baggage system, and that baggage system has to work. When it breaks down, then our field maintenance crews have to go and put bags on carts and help the airlines move them because the volume is too big.
We’re responsible for plowing the runways and keeping the roadways clear, and making sure that the grass is cut in the spring and summer so that we don’t attract wildlife. We have a wildlife administrator, because you can’t have wildlife in an airport. We don’t want birds. We don’t want people feeding stray cats. We have a cybersecurity team.
The hardest part of my job is honestly people making assumptions because they don’t know how the airport operates or what we’re getting done every day. I think a common thing that is overlooked is that the airport is actually separate from the airlines. It’s its own entity. Airport employees don’t get to fly for free.
There are things we have to fix, but not everything is up to us. We actually don’t deliver a lot of the services directed to the passengers. We don’t fly the plane. We don’t even get to tell the plane where to fly.
A lot of people say, “Why can’t you just get a flight to a specific destination?” To which I think, “Do you have 150 friends who want to go every day?” That’s what it’s going to take. We actually have to sell our community to the airlines, and so we spend a lot of time evaluating the air transportation market for our community and everybody we compete with to see how we stack up.
I love my job, and I like thinking about my job. Of course, it’s stressful, but it’s the kind of stress I’m built for. I am very good at managing lots of complexity. I really love understanding stakeholders and what they need and how to communicate with them.
We’re constantly looking for better ways to do things. I care a lot about making sure our staff feels engaged. Airports are fun places to work. And these are the jobs I don’t see AI replacing anytime soon.
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