From Struggle to Story: How Christina Cassotis Rebuilt Pittsburgh International Airport’s Narrative
If you’re from Pittsburgh, you probably remember when the airport buzzed with energy — 110 nonstop flights a day, packed terminals, and that unmistakable hum of possibility.
Then it all went quiet. As airlines pulled out and flights dropped to a fraction of their peak, the airport became a symbol of what Pittsburgh had lost.
Enter Christina Cassotis. In 2015, she stepped into a role most leaders would’ve avoided — CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, tasked with turning a struggling airport into a success story.
Cassotis didn’t start with runways or terminals.
She started with the story.
Reframing the Narrative
When Cassotis began pitching airlines on Pittsburgh, she found the city still trapped in an outdated narrative — the “dirty steel town” of the past.
She flipped that script. Her message wasn’t about what Pittsburgh once was, but what it had become: a hub of innovation, education, and culture.
And she didn’t stop at telling why Pittsburgh was great. She told why Pittsburgh was great for them.
That shift — from self-promotion to customer-centric storytelling — is the same principle that drives MASSolutions’ work. It’s about uncovering your Reason for Being and your customer’s Reason for Buying.
Those two answers create your Big Idea, the core of every meaningful story.
The Vision Becomes Reality
Nearly a decade later, Cassotis’ storytelling and leadership have turned vision into physical form.
This fall, Pittsburgh International Airport opened its new $1.7 billion terminal, designed for today’s travelers — not as a connecting hub, but as an origin-and-destination airport serving the region it represents.
The new facility features a three-level departures and arrivals hall, centralized security with expanded capacity, and locally inspired architecture and art that reflect Pittsburgh’s spirit.
Travelers now move through a terminal that’s efficient, modern, and distinctly local — a reflection of the story Cassotis began telling years ago.
Yes, the gate areas remain familiar, but the experience — from check-in to art to ground transportation — now mirrors the narrative that Pittsburgh’s airport belongs to a city that’s evolved, innovative, and proud.
From Runway to Role Model
Cassotis’ journey is more than a turnaround story; it’s a case study in leadership and storytelling.
She didn’t rebuild Pittsburgh International Airport by chasing numbers or trends.
She did it by defining a clear WHY, crafting the right story, and living it every day until others believed it too.
That’s what real marketing does — it builds belief before it builds growth.
