During her job interview, Christina Cassotis made a bold statement to board members of the Allegheny County Airport Authority and the Allegheny County executive: “Hubs do not work in the Midwest.” The region will remember the 1992 Pittsburgh International Airport being designed to be a hub for US Airways. It was called the “airport of the future” by the New York Times. But a post-Sept 11 travel climate put one of the final nails in US Airways’ coffin. It declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy not once but twice, and pulled out of the airport as a hub in 2004.
“I took the job to help Pittsburgh redefine its business model,” said Cassotis, CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, which operates Pittsburgh International Airport and Allegheny County Airport. “Hubs were over in the Midwest. I said to the board and the county executive, ‘I can help you get more airline services. You can’t be a hub. It’s not about the airport. It’s about the market.’ ” Now, as Pittsburgh International is completing a $1.7 billion modernization project that is slated to open by Thanksgiving, all eyes are on the future of travel in Western Pennsylvania.
Read more at Trib Live.
Originally published: October 9, 2025
Recent Comments