July 17, 2025 • 7 mins
Pittsburgh International Airport is in the midst of a transformation aimed at meeting the needs of the Pittsburgh region through a $1.7 billion modernization comprised of a new terminal, new parking complex and extensive improvements to existing facilities. This project has generated billions of dollars for the region as well as 14,300 jobs.
Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, which is the agency that oversees developments at Pittsburgh's main airport, discusses the region's viability as a national hub for energy production and infrastructure, and why the modernization efforts will help solidify that trend. Christina speaks with Tim Stenovec and Isabelle Lee on Bloomberg Businessweek Daily.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, radio News.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
You're listening to Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Masser and
Tim Stenoveek on Bloomberg Radio. Hey. Last in March, just
a few months ago, I was flying from New York
City to Pittsburgh. I landed at Pittsburgh's Airport. I noticed
a couple things. One was that there was a lot
of construction going on. The whole thing was under construction.
(00:28):
The other thing I noticed was there were signs for
British Airways and Iceland Air And I was thinking to myself,
why are British Airways in Iceland Air flying into Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Iceland is in a lot of people's bucket list, but
you're right, you wouldn't think of it in not a
major airport.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Well, it wants to be a major airport, and that's
exactly why we're bringing in. Christina casotis CEO of the
Alleghany County Airport Authority. It's the agency that oversees developments
at Pittsburgh International Airport and Alleghany County Airport. She joins
us this afternoon. Christina, good to have you on the program.
You're at the airport right now in Pittsburgh. First, give
(01:06):
us an update on construction. When is this going to
be done?
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Yeah, well, first of all, Tim and Isabel, thank you
for having me. We will be done with construction in
October when we open to the public the new terminal.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
So how do you think about Pittsburgh's place geographically and
as an airport getting customers outside of the United States,
to Canada and to Europe. How do you view it
as doing that?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
So, first of all, you know, we're we are a
medium sized market in the United States, and we've got
a pretty significant global community here with a number of
Fortune five hundred companies based and we think that it's
critical to get out into the rest of the world
(01:52):
and to connect with the rest of the world. So
we have a real effort to make sure that we
have the right air service to do it. I was
listening to you talk about British Airways and Iceland. They
are actually they've been here. BA was here way back
in the days of the Hub, and getting them back
made a whole lot of sense. And we keep looking
for more expansion opportunities for other airlines to serve our
(02:15):
global market.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I'm looking at videos and it looks fantastic, and upon
doing my research, I also read that your airport is
the first major US airport powered by its own natural
gas and solar microgrid. So can you talk to us
about how these energy initiatives fit into your long term
vision and why did you decide to do this?
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Yeah, thank you so much for that question. I think
we're the only ones in the world. Just to be candid,
we decided about five years ago after Atlanta went down
for the day and then LAX had a significant disruption
and service and had to discontinue operations for a period
of time, that since we have the Marcellus Shale, one
of the largest natural gas deposits in the US, literally
(02:57):
under our feet, we actually extract natural gas on site
here at the airport, that we should use it to
power our own microgrid so that we could have resiliency
and redundancy, and if anything like what happened at Luton
and Heathrow happened in Pittsburgh, we would be able to
go into island mode and completely operate on our own.
And that's what's happened, and we've been successful with this
(03:19):
for four years. Now.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Does this mean you'll be more isolated when it comes
to shortages and outages and all those disruptions that we've
been seeing in all major airports around the world.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yes, yes, yeah, So after London, then there are outages
in Spain and Portugal that would not happen here. Not
only that, but our microgrid completely powers our airfield for runways,
all the taxiway and runway lights, the terminal, our hotel,
and our gas station. And one of the things that
happened when Spain and Portugal had their outage is that
(03:50):
people could not pump gas. Turns out you could do
that here if it ever happened, if the grid really
had a major failure. So we are independent. It allows
us to be resilient. It has helped us create site
hardened infrastructure, and it's something we're really proud of and
look forward to other airports doing throughout the world, because
(04:12):
when one airport goes down, it affects everybody, you know.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
I'm interested in the status of Pittsburgh as a hub airport.
I think people who remember years ago was a US
Airways hub. I believe too many years ago TWA had
some sort of hub at Pittsburgh. But we're talking ancient
history here. Are you actively trying to get airlines to
make Pittsburgh a hub again. No, why not?
Speaker 3 (04:37):
It doesn't, Well, because it doesn't. The major airlines in
the United States have picked their hub markets. They tend
to be very large cities. The way that airline economics work,
airports are not why airlines serve you as a city.
It's because you have a market. And we have a
great global market where it's a lot of air traffic,
(05:01):
but it doesn't necessarily support a hub airline. Now do
we have a lot of activity at this airport, yes,
but we serve an origin and destination market, so people
begin and end their trips here as opposed to connect through.
We certainly have the infrastructure for a hub, and if
an airline ever wanted to come back, we would be
thrilled to have them, and we have the space. But
(05:24):
becoming a hub again is not our future. Necessarily becoming
a really strong origin and destination airport like Tampa or
San Jose or Portland, Oregon. That's a different business model,
and we're doing a really good job succeeding at that.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
We've heard from airlines that travel demand remains strong, but
we have constraints like labor shortages, capacity constraints and inflation.
Those are all ongoing issues. What is your outlook in
the next say, twelve to eighteen months for the sector,
particularly to mid sized airports like yours.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Well, I think, first of all, you're your sources are
spot on. You know, there are some they are very
very significant constraints in terms of capacity, in terms of
aircraft manufacturers being able to deliver aircraft in a timely manner,
engine manufacturers doing the same. There are headwinds in the
economy that you know, a lot of global leaders, including
(06:21):
at Bastion, have called out saying that you know, we've
got a notable reduction in a non receptionary environment. I
think that's that's the language that he used. So what
do I think? I think that travel always bounces back,
and I have seen travel called doa so many times
in my career I can't even count. After the Gulf War,
(06:44):
after COVID, after nine to eleven, everybody says, oh, this
is it, We're all going to be video conferencing, and
it always travel always comes back stronger. People still want
to travel to see loved ones, make business deals, and
is a significant part of the world that hasn't traveled yet.
So I think that we will continue to see travel
grow despite any short term impacts due to capacity and
(07:10):
or inflationary constraints.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Christina, thanks for joining us. Love talking air travel, love
talking airports. I know it is in your DNA, so
we really appreciate you joining us. Please do come back soon.
That's Christina Casotis, chief executive officer of the Allegheny County
Airport Authority. It's the agency that oversees developments at Pittsburgh
International Airport in Alleghany County Airport. I also had a
really good Hamburger Isabelle at the Pittsburgh Airport.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
You have a lot of experience in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Well, it was twenty four hours and all I got
to do when I was there was go to the airport,
go to the hotel, do this shoot, then go back
to the airport. So the only meals that I actually
got to eat we're at the airport. Okay, sometimes that happens.
Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, radio News.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
You're listening to Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Masser and
Tim Stenoveek on Bloomberg Radio. Hey. Last in March, just
a few months ago, I was flying from New York
City to Pittsburgh. I landed at Pittsburgh's Airport. I noticed
a couple things. One was that there was a lot
of construction going on. The whole thing was under construction.
(00:28):
The other thing I noticed was there were signs for
British Airways and Iceland Air And I was thinking to myself,
why are British Airways in Iceland Air flying into Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Iceland is in a lot of people's bucket list, but
you're right, you wouldn't think of it in not a
major airport.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Well, it wants to be a major airport, and that's
exactly why we're bringing in. Christina casotis CEO of the
Alleghany County Airport Authority. It's the agency that oversees developments
at Pittsburgh International Airport and Alleghany County Airport. She joins
us this afternoon. Christina, good to have you on the program.
You're at the airport right now in Pittsburgh. First, give
(01:06):
us an update on construction. When is this going to
be done?
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Yeah, well, first of all, Tim and Isabel, thank you
for having me. We will be done with construction in
October when we open to the public the new terminal.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
So how do you think about Pittsburgh's place geographically and
as an airport getting customers outside of the United States,
to Canada and to Europe. How do you view it
as doing that?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
So, first of all, you know, we're we are a
medium sized market in the United States, and we've got
a pretty significant global community here with a number of
Fortune five hundred companies based and we think that it's
critical to get out into the rest of the world
(01:52):
and to connect with the rest of the world. So
we have a real effort to make sure that we
have the right air service to do it. I was
listening to you talk about British Airways and Iceland. They
are actually they've been here. BA was here way back
in the days of the Hub, and getting them back
made a whole lot of sense. And we keep looking
for more expansion opportunities for other airlines to serve our
(02:15):
global market.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I'm looking at videos and it looks fantastic, and upon
doing my research, I also read that your airport is
the first major US airport powered by its own natural
gas and solar microgrid. So can you talk to us
about how these energy initiatives fit into your long term
vision and why did you decide to do this?
Speaker 3 (02:34):
Yeah, thank you so much for that question. I think
we're the only ones in the world. Just to be candid,
we decided about five years ago after Atlanta went down
for the day and then LAX had a significant disruption
and service and had to discontinue operations for a period
of time, that since we have the Marcellus Shale, one
of the largest natural gas deposits in the US, literally
(02:57):
under our feet, we actually extract natural gas on site
here at the airport, that we should use it to
power our own microgrid so that we could have resiliency
and redundancy, and if anything like what happened at Luton
and Heathrow happened in Pittsburgh, we would be able to
go into island mode and completely operate on our own.
And that's what's happened, and we've been successful with this
(03:19):
for four years. Now.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Does this mean you'll be more isolated when it comes
to shortages and outages and all those disruptions that we've
been seeing in all major airports around the world.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Yes, yes, yeah, So after London, then there are outages
in Spain and Portugal that would not happen here. Not
only that, but our microgrid completely powers our airfield for runways,
all the taxiway and runway lights, the terminal, our hotel,
and our gas station. And one of the things that
happened when Spain and Portugal had their outage is that
(03:50):
people could not pump gas. Turns out you could do
that here if it ever happened, if the grid really
had a major failure. So we are independent. It allows
us to be resilient. It has helped us create site
hardened infrastructure, and it's something we're really proud of and
look forward to other airports doing throughout the world, because
(04:12):
when one airport goes down, it affects everybody, you know.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
I'm interested in the status of Pittsburgh as a hub airport.
I think people who remember years ago was a US
Airways hub. I believe too many years ago TWA had
some sort of hub at Pittsburgh. But we're talking ancient
history here. Are you actively trying to get airlines to
make Pittsburgh a hub again. No, why not?
Speaker 3 (04:37):
It doesn't, Well, because it doesn't. The major airlines in
the United States have picked their hub markets. They tend
to be very large cities. The way that airline economics work,
airports are not why airlines serve you as a city.
It's because you have a market. And we have a
great global market where it's a lot of air traffic,
(05:01):
but it doesn't necessarily support a hub airline. Now do
we have a lot of activity at this airport, yes,
but we serve an origin and destination market, so people
begin and end their trips here as opposed to connect through.
We certainly have the infrastructure for a hub, and if
an airline ever wanted to come back, we would be
thrilled to have them, and we have the space. But
(05:24):
becoming a hub again is not our future. Necessarily becoming
a really strong origin and destination airport like Tampa or
San Jose or Portland, Oregon. That's a different business model,
and we're doing a really good job succeeding at that.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
We've heard from airlines that travel demand remains strong, but
we have constraints like labor shortages, capacity constraints and inflation.
Those are all ongoing issues. What is your outlook in
the next say, twelve to eighteen months for the sector,
particularly to mid sized airports like yours.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Well, I think, first of all, you're your sources are
spot on. You know, there are some they are very
very significant constraints in terms of capacity, in terms of
aircraft manufacturers being able to deliver aircraft in a timely manner,
engine manufacturers doing the same. There are headwinds in the
economy that you know, a lot of global leaders, including
(06:21):
at Bastion, have called out saying that you know, we've
got a notable reduction in a non receptionary environment. I
think that's that's the language that he used. So what
do I think? I think that travel always bounces back,
and I have seen travel called doa so many times
in my career I can't even count. After the Gulf War,
(06:44):
after COVID, after nine to eleven, everybody says, oh, this
is it, We're all going to be video conferencing, and
it always travel always comes back stronger. People still want
to travel to see loved ones, make business deals, and
is a significant part of the world that hasn't traveled yet.
So I think that we will continue to see travel
grow despite any short term impacts due to capacity and
(07:10):
or inflationary constraints.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Christina, thanks for joining us. Love talking air travel, love
talking airports. I know it is in your DNA, so
we really appreciate you joining us. Please do come back soon.
That's Christina Casotis, chief executive officer of the Allegheny County
Airport Authority. It's the agency that oversees developments at Pittsburgh
International Airport in Alleghany County Airport. I also had a
really good Hamburger Isabelle at the Pittsburgh Airport.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
You have a lot of experience in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Well, it was twenty four hours and all I got
to do when I was there was go to the airport,
go to the hotel, do this shoot, then go back
to the airport. So the only meals that I actually
got to eat we're at the airport. Okay, sometimes that happens.
Hosts And Creators
Tim Stenovec
Carol Massar
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.