Redefining the Airport Experience - Cassie Schmid

0:00Hey, welcome to the CMO Whisper Show. I'm your host, Steve Olensky. Part marketing practitioner, part ad agency veteran, part journalist. I was a writer for Forbes for 10 years. I've had so many insightful conversations over the years with business leaders, to athletes, to celebrities, to, of course, CMOs. The only difference now is instead of sharing those insights through written form, I'm doing it this way. My guest today is Cassie Schmid, the Chief Strategy Officer for Philadelphia International Airport and the Northeast Philadelphia Airport. She's the one shaping how millions of people will experience Philly, especially as the city gears up for the World Cup, the All-Star Game, and the country's 215th birthday in 2026.

0:45That's a lot. Cassie leads enterprise-wide strategy, performance management, communications, guest experience, marketing, and brand. I'm out of breath saying all those things. Wow. If it impacts how travelers see and feel, PHL, as it's known, it runs through her. She brings a dynamic, sharp, data-driven, customer-first mindset, turning market trends, competitive dynamics, and traveler insights into strategies that actually move the needle. Now, before Philly, she helped guide strategy and stakeholder engagement for the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. And before that, she built a really strong track record for leading go-to-market strategy and high-impact partnerships across multiple organizations.

1:26Simply put, Cassie is one of the aviation's top strategic voices, and she's playing a major role in the future of how people arrive in and experience Philadelphia. And as a lifelong Philadelphian, I have an extra vested interest in this particular episode. Cassie, welcome to the show. Thanks, Steve, for having me. So glad to be here. You are very welcome. I gave Cassie some feedback off air, which I will not share about PHL, but let's just. it's true it's true and we love it all feedback is valuable feedback so we'll take it and that's the sign of a great leader to her credit she's very open to hearing it because as we said if no one tells her she does not know it now yeah exactly kudos to you for being very open to that okay i don't even know where to even start but i think i'm going to start here about when you're the one telling the story of a major airport right how do you prep for literally millions of people coming through while still showing everyone, both your customers and your bosses, we got this.

2:31So we definitely are approaching 2026 through that passenger lens and through that passenger journey and really thinking about it from curb to cloud, right? Everything that's in between the moment they first either touch down here at Philly and leave our four walls and go into the city and experience all the great things that philly has to offer and then the return journey too and so really thinking through every single step and everything they're going to see feel here that makes right their experience at philly truly something that they'll remember and remember for good hopefully steve right yeah versus some wrong turns but But really kind of building that out, building that plan out, building and thinking through all the various elements of that plan and the tactics really that are needed in order to bring it to life.

3:29And so right to your question of how do we communicate that? How do we ladder that up? How do we instill that confidence? And not only my peers and the rest of the leadership at PHL and P &E, but also throughout the city, right? Working with our stakeholders across the city to make sure that as their guests and their visitors are coming into the city, that we've got them from the moment they step foot in Philly. We're prepared. We're really excited about that. Yeah, it's obviously a massive challenge because I'm going to speak for everybody. But most folks, I think when you hear the word airport, they think gate changes and metal tubes.

4:08And like, how do you help people understand that PHL really is an economic machine? I mean, we're talking$18 billion a year,$100 ,000 jobs, all of this. Yeah, it's a mini city. Really, when you think about it, right, we have over 17 ,000 badged employees that make the ecosystem of PHL run. And that is a massive undertaking when you think about not only their day-to-day, what all needs to occur in order for the airport to run, but then also how we, every one of those badges is an interaction potentially with a passenger. And so making sure that people truly understand that, to your point, right, it's more than just gate changes and something that you pass through.

4:54It's truly something that you want to come and experience, right? Whether it's our food options, our retail options, our amazing lounges that have just opened up, all of the terminals are something different, too, right? And that you can go through one checkpoint and experience it all on the secure side without ever having to go back out to the non-secure side or take a shuttle or any of that. Right. There's just there's so much to do and see within the terminals that we're really proud of. And not to mention our art program, too. We have a really phenomenal art program and amazing pieces. most recently we actually just added the third and final rocky statue to our collection yep i saw that right and so like how often can you go to an airport and see see the rocky statue only in philly my friend only in philly listen i know and you've been to thousands of airports right and i've traveled a ton and i think what you're touching on is something that maybe some people don't even realize the impact of, cause we're all walking down hallways and on the moving, you know, escalator, whatever that thing's called.

6:09And, you know, the moving sidewalk and you have to traverse through an airport. Right. And what you see, you know, and experience that all is tied together. Right. It is. It absolutely is. Yes. And I think that that's, that's the lens that, right. It's not only what you see, it's what you write. It was saying you feel you hear, right? What are the old head messages? And how often are they playing? And what are they saying? And are they obtrusive? Or are they adding to the ambiance of that space? What are the smells? Right? What like, do you smell cheesesteaks being made? Or pretzels? All of it plays together.

6:48And I think truly has an impact on that passenger journey. Like I was saying, we're really trying to think through and plan for all of those things every step of the way throughout all the events and what needs to change from welcoming pga tournament visitors to fifa visitors to our 250th visitors right they all have their own marketing speak right they all have their own personas So how do we really capture and play to and make sure we're serving up experiences, options, incentives to match those personas as they go through the customer journey? So give us some insights into, because there are three, the World Cup, the All-Star Game, and the 250th birthday of the country.

7:37Yes. That's a global, like on you and everybody else, that spotlight is right there. Give us some insight without giving away secrets. Sure. What are some ways you're getting ready for that wave? Yeah. So a couple of things. So, right, we are really looking at the infrastructure of our airport and not only in terms of moving people, millions of additional people in and out of an airport, like that's on the operation side, but also the facilities. So working with our capital improvement team and really investing$500 billion in a capital improvement program. And we dubbed it under kind of our new brand, Transform PHL.

8:22And so really like just ramping up the facilities because our newest facility, and Steve, you probably know this as a Philadelphian, but our newest facility is actually 20 years old. And so there's room for improvement. We definitely are overdue for some investment in just our facilities. And so working through that, we do have a number of projects that we are wrapping up ahead of 2026. But that work will continue over the next four to five years, really, as we continue to reshape and revamp and transform PHL. So that's kind of on the facility side. Then from like a journey perspective, we do have a lot of new concessions opening within the terminals and really leaning into this founded in Philly flavor.

9:19So bringing street side locations from Philly into the four walls of the terminal, which is really important. I mean, right travelers and we know this. They love their brands. They love their national brands. They want those comforts and they know that they're in the terminal. But at the same time, people want to know that they landed in Philly. Yeah. And they're departing from Philly. And so bringing in those local flavors is really important to us, giving them that sense of place. Yep, exactly. So when you look ahead and someone's landing at the airport for the first time in 2026, what does that first impression moment look like for you?

9:55So for me, I really envision the all of our millions of influx of passengers stepping off their plane, getting into a gatehold area and just being transformed. Right. Like they know that they've landed in Philly, that we've given them that sense of place, whether it's through imagery, whether it's through smells, whether it's through the sound that they hear. Right. Go birds. Um, we definitely want them to know where they are from the moment they step off that plane. And also have a seamless experience getting out of our airport and into the city. So removing any friction that they might have, whether it's wayfinding, right?

10:41Making sure that things are very clearly marked and accessible in every language. Because that's another really important factor of this audience that's coming in. is they're coming from, like you said, globally. So making sure that we're serving up wayfinding and allowing them to navigate in a language that's native to them is really important. And then also being greeted with a friendly face and having that personal interaction all along the way is really important for us too. We've got a great team in the terminal. It's our customer care team and it's kind of our boots on the ground, right?

11:19It's those people stationed throughout the airport, not sitting behind a desk, but really out in the crowds, helping people navigate, whether they have a question about where to eat or where the bathroom is or where their gate is. So really having that personal connection right off the bat is really important for us. I think of, I don't know if you're a sports fan. I'm going to use the sports analogy here for a second. Sometimes I look at airports like an umpire in baseball or a referee in football. And what I mean by that is the best officials in sports, when the game is over, you never notice them because they just did their job.

11:54Yeah. And sometimes it feels like that with an airport where you get your land, you get your bags, you move on, and you look back and go, wow. Or you don't even look back. Right. Yeah. But the flip side is if an umpire makes a bad call, that analogy makes sense? Totally. It totally does. Yeah. I think it's a great one. I actually might borrow it. You can. If you don't mind. Free of charge. Okay, good. Thanks. It is a great analogy. You're right. You're right. We're not the reason people are coming to Philly. Right. Right. And we recognize that and we embrace it. So how do we make, get them here and get them out and on their way and to wherever they're going as seamlessly as possible is truly the goal.

12:36Yeah. And with a friendly face, I will say. And with a friendly face. Absolutely. And that's, that's a Philly thing. I think sometimes, well, I'm going to get soapbox but our city gets a bad rap for and a lot of it's because of our sports fans but that's a whole nother story but that's a whole nother podcast we're the city of brother love come on yeah we are we are and i will say as a transplant right like i have never felt more embraced and more welcomed than i have in philly and you're right you know when i told my family and friends I was moving here, they were like, what? What are you doing?

13:13And I was like, you don't understand. Like, come. And I will tell you, every single visitor that I have had wants to move here because they feel it too. So you're right. I think there is something to be said of like, we need to put that forward with our new passengers and really embrace that aspect of Philadelphia. I tell people all the time, it's a big city with a small town feel in some ways. A hundred percent. I can't tell you how many times I walked down the street and run into people I know. And right, like we're in a major city. Yeah, it definitely has that small town feel. So PHL recently reaffirmed some strong bond ratings, right?

13:52Like the A plus and A1, you can explain what they are to the layman for sure. But my question is, how do you take something as technical as that and put it in for people like me who have no idea what that means, but understand the significance of it? Yeah. So great thing to call out. I will say it's proof that we're healthy, that we're fiscally responsible and that we're really well managed. And I would accredit that to the leadership team here. They've done a really nice job of working with our airlines, working with our tenants, because at the end of the day, right, like we run a business and we run it really, really well.

14:27that allows us to turn around and invest in things that are important, like our terminal facilities, like the guest experience, like celebrations, right? Celebrating our passengers and these amazing events that are coming in 2026. So it really is just proof that we've been doing a good job and we'll continue to do a good job from a business perspective. Yeah. Now, let me take it in another angle. And I think J.D. Power, right, said that, quote, the airport's quote, too small, too old. So you got that great financial ranking and rating, but then J.D. Power comes along and says, too old, too small.

15:06Yeah. Yeah. So J.D. Power is a fun one, I will say. We, PHL, have been on the bottom of their list for many years now. And, you know, it's kind of been a blessing in disguise, Right. There's always a silver lining to things, but it really allowed us to take a step back and prioritize where we were going to make those investments and how we were going to address some of the concerns that people were were making known right through this J.D. Power survey. So some of the areas right that you'd mentioned, J.D. said that like we're too old or too small. And so our capital improvement program is addressing a lot of that.

15:48We're also kind of addressing some of the low hanging fruit, right? Like there's, and we're making investments and we're making strategic partnerships on our food, beverage, and retail and continuing to see that score increase. That score actually year over year was the greatest increase. So we were really happy about that. We also, of course, right elephant in the room, our bathrooms, our restrooms definitely need some work. And from two perspectives, one, right, just the functionality of them. And so we have a whole restroom refresh project that we're going through, but then also the cleanliness of them.

16:25And so really working with our operations team to fill positions that unfortunately have been gone unfilled for the past couple of years due to a myriad of reasons, but also are just having that concerted effort on how do we make this, these couple of improvements, this low hanging fruit and, and prioritize them. Yeah. And we are. Yeah. And people look, people are people obviously, and they're going to notice. They are. Yeah. Yeah. They notice when they're not working right. And they're going to notice like when they're, when they are working right. I mean, the bathrooms now, but not just the bathrooms, other things.

16:59Absolutely. And to your point, as we started out this conversation, like that's okay. Like we want to hear those things. We want to know about that because it gives us areas to point to and really work on. Otherwise, right, we're going to kind of go around and do our day to day as we would anyways. And so we need that feedback. We need that feedback loop. And Philadelphians are really good at that. So we appreciate it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, listen, it makes all the sense in the world because, look, at the heart of what we're talking about, and, you know, I talk to CMOs all the time, as you know, You are the first one in this industry that I'm speaking to, but there are common denominators across all marketing.

17:41And one of those is being CX. And I don't think a lot of people equate CX to an airport, but it's no different. It's the experience. It is. It is. It definitely is. And I'm a firm believer too in, right, your customer experience starts with your employee experience. So making sure that your employees feel seen, heard, valued, appreciated, and that then they turn around and that translates to a wonderful customer experience. And so, right, that's something that we're really focusing on, especially on my team, working through a program called PHL Works. And it's really designed to kind of have that service level agreement of how are all 17 ,000 badged employees that come from over 200 different employers going to show up in the terminal and treat those guests, treat our passengers.

18:36So kind of giving everyone that baseline that here's our standard. And it's been a phenomenal program. It rolled out last year and we have over 40 % of that 17 ,000 through the program already, whether it's through virtual training or in-person training. And we are seeing our numbers increase because we're all approaching it the same way. And that's transformational. That's the kind of stuff that people notice. and people talk about, and we're really, really happy about that. We also, to my point of like, it starts with the employee, not only bringing them together and giving them the framework, but also celebrating them.

19:16Our employee recognition program is really robust and we have winners every month. We celebrate them in really big, fun ways within the terminal, some marching bands through the terminals to celebrate our employee all-stars every year. So it is transformational. It does make a difference and we're starting to see it. I could not agree more that the best customer experience starts with the right employee experience. And in a short hop, skip and a jump from that is culture, right? And clearly you have that on your mind and your leadership team does. Yes, absolutely. Culture is so important for any organization, whether you're an airport or right of manufacturer, whatever.

19:58I think it all begins and ends with culture and how leaders, right? There's a top-down perspective. And then there's just an every employee at every level. How are you treated? How are you seen? How are you heard? And so we're really working on that. So we're a department of the city. We're a city-owned airport. And so the Department of Aviation is made up of 850 employees. And our CEO, when he joined the organization three years ago now, he came in and really wanted to have a pulse on the employee experience. And so he implemented an employee engagement survey that, again, right, the results were great and telling and gave us those areas of focus, much like the J.D.

20:43Power survey of where we had opportunity for continuous improvement. And so we've spent the past year and a half really honing in on those four action items that were identified as areas. And we just actually, Wednesday this week, closed out our second round of employee engagement survey. And so in the new year, we'll get those results and see where we made strides and where we maybe have different new areas of opportunity to bring the employee base together. But I will say all of that and being transparent, sharing those action items, sharing the progress on them, which we did through roadshows, right?

21:25We went to the employees. We met people where they were at and had the conversation of here's what the survey said. Here's what we're doing about it. And here's the progress that we're making on a quarterly basis over the last year and a half made a difference. It really did. People felt it, right? We came together. leadership stood in front of them and asked for feedback in real time. And that's a culture shift that I think is valuable and is definitely something that we're proud of here at PHL. You went through a brand refresh, correct? We did. So tell us about that. Oh my gosh, it was so exciting.

22:03So as you know, right, you're in this world, brands can get stale and brands do need some refreshes once in a while. PHL hadn't had one in over 20 years. And so having the opportunity to come in and really think about what do our passengers want and expect today, and how can we serve up a brand and really lean into a brand that's not just a look and a feel, but truly our personality, who we are, how we show up in the community was really important to us. And so we took the time to do the research, both qualitative and quantitative, to really inform this new brand strategy and also the look and the feel.

22:48And it's one that not only revitalizes PHL's identity, but really differentiates us from our competitors, which is really important, especially in this tight little catchment area that we're in in the Northeast. And really establish a strong connection with our passengers, with our employees, again, starting with them, and then with your stakeholders. Being a city-owned airport is, we have a lot of stakeholders. And so making sure that we thought through all of those, surveyed all of them, talked to all of them, got their input was really important up front. And then we launched it at our annual state of the airport in a really big and fun way.

23:31It was a grand reveal. Everyone went into the event with the old identity and it was launched through a brand video. and then as they exited the theater at the convention center everything had transformed and it was the new identity and it was oh my god i love that it was so fun again to like the experience of it we put everyone in the middle yeah of truly like ripping the band-aid off and like opening the curtains and it was a really fun time i want to make sure we have time because i really want to talk to you about your rise really in the marketing c-suite but in this industry specifically it's pretty rare right yeah take us behind the curtain there and even even speak to you know a young uh younger females coming up behind you yeah yes i would love to so i got into the aviation industry totally by happenstance i was recruited in i started with minneapolisst paul international airport um the metropolitan airports commission is a commission that owns MSP and then six reliever airports.

24:35And their CEO, Brian Ricks, was really looking to bring in someone from outside the industry to have kind of that business mindset to stand up a new team and really drive non-aeronautical revenue for the organization. So I got a call and I was traveling every single week for my old position. And so I was at the airport every single week and never in a million years thought about the marketing side of an airport. Right? So that's a call and was like, what are you talking about? I don't understand. Help me. What is this position? What do you need? And the more we talked about it, and the more I learned and the more people I met, it was so exciting.

25:20And to be in that airport environment on a work basis was just like, Yes, side me up all day long. And so I started and really, right, my office was in the terminal. So I truly was going to the airport every day. And some days I will say it was hard to not jump on a plane and go on an adventure. But having the opportunity to build out a marketing team for that organization, combine it with communications and have kind of this true stakeholder involvement and holistic view of it was really exciting. And then to take that experience at MSP and bring it to PHL has been amazing. And I think that's one of the things in the aviation industry that I've found is the camaraderie and the willing to collaborate.

26:13Right. I actually worked with several members of the team here at PHL while I was at MSP. So they knew me. They knew what I was stepping into and what I brought to the table. And that's the power of this industry, truly, is because, you know, I mean, while we do have competitors, especially here in Philly, because of our catchment area, there's a lot of airports within our ecosystem that don't. And so they want to learn. We want to make sure that our colleagues don't make the same mistakes that we made along the way. And so to your question of what do I say or how do I engage with the other young woman coming up in this industry?

26:52it really is get involved. It really is start attending those conferences, making those connections to other airports, to other marketing teams, communication teams, guest experience teams, because there's beauty and there's brilliance in sharing and being transparent and being honest about some of the challenges that you're up against because you're never alone. And that's that's one thing that I really have learned throughout my career is the more honest you can be, the more open and transparent, the better off you're going to be and the more you're going to learn and grow. Yeah, exactly. Okay.

27:31I'm looking at the time. We're going to wrap up like I always do with what I call the random five. If you've heard any of my episodes, I just ask you five very random questions. I did not plan this first question. It just came up like this. So you're going to think it's planted, but it's not. Okay. First question. If I handed you a boarding pass to anywhere in the world, no meetings, no email, no agenda, where is Cassie Schmidt going? Oh, I am going to Nepal. Why? The rich culture. You've been? And the scenery. Got it. It's on my list. I haven't been. Okay. And so it's definitely first place I go.

28:05It's a bucket list. I got it. Yeah. Next question. When no one's around and you need a reset, what's the song that instantly changes your mood? Ooh, that's a good one. Oh my gosh. There's so many. I know. Pick a couple. I'm not going to put you on the spot. Okay. I definitely Wild Child by Black Keys. Okay. That changes your mood. That changes my mood. Got it. Yeah. Okay. Number three. What food could you eat every day and never get tired of? Pasta. Mmm. Give me a big bowl of noodles and I'm just the happiest person in the world. For a split second, I thought you were going to say cheese sticks and you're real Philadelphia.

28:38But your arteries. You missed opportunities, Steve. Your arteries would not let them know. All right, number four. What's the most beautiful sound in the world to you? Oh, laughter. Okay. Specifically of my children. Got it. Last question, and this is quirky, but again, these are just pulled from my database. If you were a kitchen appliance, which one are you and why? I told you it's random. It is random. I'm gonna go with I'm gonna go with an oven Okay And why? Sure I think because I'm warm And dependable I'm really putting you on the spot I feel like I could have done better on that one But I'm gonna stick with it I'm gonna just own it There's no wrong answer I'm gonna own it Oven Listen, you are a treat I already know there's gonna be a part two because we're going to keep talking, but I can't thank you enough for coming on the show.