SMART TERMINAL: How Pittsburgh International Airport CEO Christina Cassotis is leading an ambitious comeback

IN RECENT YEARS, the aviation industry has experienced positive changes as more women have moved into leadership roles.

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In North America, only a small number of women—just four, to be precise—lead major airports, bringing unique perspectives and innovative ideas. One of these is Christina Cassotis, whose journey from being the daughter of a Pan Am pilot to becoming the CEO of Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is truly inspiring.

Cassotis grew up in a household connected to aviation, influenced by her father, who moved from Pan Am to United Airlines. Living with her family in New England, she experienced the realities of airline life. Despite limited vacations due to her father's preference for staying grounded when off duty, a family trip to London when she was 10 sparked her love for travel.

Cassotis' journey into aviation leadership was anything but conventional. “I was bartending on Beacon Hill in Boston,” she recalls. “It was a spot where state reps and senators would come in for lunch or drinks.” There, she was offered a job at the Department of Energy Resources, before being recruited to work as the communications director for a cabinet secretary. “After six months, I moved to Massport,” the owner and operator of Logan Airport in Boston. “I didn't even realize that airports had jobs like the one I was offered.”

At 29 without a college degree, Cassotis went back to school while working at Massport and eventually graduated.

“As the deputy director of communications, I absolutely loved it. I thought, I can't believe I get to work at an airport.”

After four and a half years, she was recruited by a consulting company, where she worked and consulted for various airports for 17 years. The unpredictable nature of the industry captivated her.

Looking back on her ascent from bartending for politicians to leading an airport, Cassotis says, “Bartending teaches you people skills—how to read personalities, manage situations and think quickly. Those lessons have served me every day as a CEO.”