Today, sharing a flight on Thought Liters takes on new meaning.
The shiny new landside terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport officially opened on November 18, 2025 — marking the first ground-up, brand-new airport build in the US since the pandemic.
It is a staggering $1.7 billion project. Recently, I got the chance to sit down with Christina Cassotis, CEO of the airport, to learn more about that investment.
Note: This interview was recorded in early March 2026, which means there may be subsequent updates (like the Terminal P proposal) which do not feature.
Origin and Destination
Piloting a project worth $1.7 B’s is a remarkable landing for the rural New Hampshire native who had, at one point, seven F’s in college. Post intentional flunk-out, she served flights of her own as a bartender in Beacon Hill.
Today’s episode features a flight of iced tea, courtesy of Cafe Conmigo in the new landside terminal.
Ironically, she credits that exact service industry experience as the foundational bedrock for how she leads today. She notes, as a bartender, your entire livelihood depends on your tips — so you learn to go out of your way to meet people exactly where they are. She figured out early that leadership is really about architecting change, and you do that by taking care of people and making sure they feel important. It’s about understanding what's in it for them, which isn't all that different from selling an idea or a product.
The Hub Ain’t Coming Back (And That’s OK)
When Christina first came to PIT, the community was still clinging to the glory days of the old US Airways hub. Some hoped those glory days may return. Christina set them straight: the hub model was dead and it wasn't coming back. Truth is, the entire Midwest got gutted of hubs in the 80s and 90s, from Cincinnati to Cleveland to Memphis. Instead of letting the community dwell on the past, she sold them on a completely new vision: Pittsburgh should be positioned as a top-tier “origin and destination” market. By building a diversified set of airlines, the city wouldn't be at the mercy of just one carrier going bankrupt.
This “intrigued the room,” in her works. And: it worked. When she walked in, the airport served 36 nonstop destinations. They’ve now roughly doubled that.
Why Did We Need to Rebuild?
The old terminal was built roughly 30 years ago, strictly for the benefit of connecting US Airways passengers. If you actually lived in Pittsburgh, you were treated as an afterthought, forced to park out by the Sunoco in the snow belt and walk half a mile to a train. The new terminal completely flips that script and revolves heavily around traveler stress.
Most people walk into an airport at a level ten of anxiety because there is usually something really important at the end of their journey. The goal of the new architecture (I immediately noticed the the high vaulted ceilings and the abundance of natural light) is to physically decompress travelers the minute they walk in, bringing them from a ten down to an eight. It even features subtle details like floor stripping in the tunnels that mimics the slope and feel of a jet bridge.
Most people come in at ten…if something goes wrong, they instantly go to 11…the minute you walk in…That helps kind of bring you down from ten to maybe an eight.
Why You Should Watch
To help you take off and watch the video, here are a few pre-boarding notices (reasons I really enjoyed this one):
Her personality for a CEO is refreshing - she’s unapologetic and blunt. I like that kind of person. I hope that shines through in the video.
Her POV on “leader-building” and “legacy-first leadership” (a phrase she once trademarked) was interesting to me, as someone who relied heavily upon an early advisor to find my way in my early career.
Her bristle against the use of the word “tarmac” (I don’t see the problem with it personally)
Alright, fasten your seatbelts and make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position.
Special thanks to Derek Davies and the team at Cafe Conmigo for allowing us to take over your landside terminal location to film — and for the iced tea flight!
The number one thing you can do to help me and the show is to watch, like, and comment on YouTube. That drives visibility more than anything. Consider subscribing as well.
If you use Spotify, I got you. If you use Apple, I got you.
And: if you know someone whose story should be told here: please reach out. I read everything, and respond to everything.
Cheers!
Adam
