Airport Experience® News - Leadership Issue 2025

TOM KINTON, OWNER OF KINTON AVIATION CONSULTING

“I think people now see her vision and appreciate the fact that Pittsburgh’s got their hometown airport that they

KEVIN BURKE, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF AIRPORTS COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL - NORTH AMERICA “What she’s done at Pittsburgh is astounding, not only with the infrastructure that she’s building there, but with the way she’s doing it. She took essentially an old hub airport and turned it into a regional airport, knowing full well it’ll probably never be a hub airport like it was before. With the reality of that, having to rebuild a terminal can call their own. It’s going to work beautifully for somebody who gets dropped off at the curb like you see in any major O-and-D airport. Get out of the car, taxi, bus, whatever. Walk into the terminal, go to ticketing and heck your bags. You’re not checking bags? Walk through security and proceed to your gate. No train, no bus ride involved. And if you’re arriving in your car, you’re going to park in a four-deck deck parking garage adjacent to the terminal, take the walkway across to the terminal and you’re there. That was her vision, and it took a lot of convincing. Her leadership style was such that she was able to convince not only the leadership and the community – that still had expectations that there was going to be another hub there – but also convince the airlines to pay for it.”

JAMES JARVIS, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, RICONDO & ASSOCIATES “Christina is an unstoppable force of nature who gets anything she puts her mind to. It was sheer determination [that resulted in]

getting the new terminal in place. I certainly think it was the right thing to do, and I’m happy she got it done. She’s just very determined and obviously a very smart lady, and she used all her skills. She’s great at public relations, she’s very good at political engineering, and she’s excellent with the airlines - and it took the airlines backing to get this terminal underway, especially considering the old terminal was maybe 60% through its life cycle.”

TODD HAUPTLI, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF AIRPORT EXECUTIVES

I admire Christina’s entrepreneurship and innovative thinking. She is a forward leaning leader who has had a tremendous impact at her airport and in her community.

and getting the support of the Allegheny Airport Authority is impressive. She’s not only politically savvy – because you have to be savvy to be able to get that done – but she has a vision, she’s strong, and she’s able to get the right people working with her who are going to help accomplish that vision.”

DAVID MINNOTTE, CHAIR OF THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY

“When she was hired, she came to me and essentially said that to make this airport successful, we have to make some audacious calls. She likes to dream big, and so we set this goal maybe seven, eight years ago, and she has had the courage and determination to follow through. Succinctly, I would say her leadership and her vision and her tenacity has made this airport a global aviation leader, a model for the rest of the industry. She’s a super leader.”

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AX NEWS DECEMBER 2025 / JANUARY 2026