SEATTLE, May 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Air
Group, Inc. today announced the promotion of two senior leaders.
Ben Minicucci was appointed
president and chief operating officer of Alaska Airlines, and
David Campbell was appointed chief
executive officer and president of Horizon Air.
Minicucci has been Alaska's
chief operating officer and executive vice president since
December 2008. Previously, he served
as vice president of Seattle
operations, where he led the performance of the airline's largest
hub. Minicucci joined the company in 2004 as staff vice president
of maintenance and engineering.
Minicucci joined Alaska from
Air Canada, following 14 years in the Canadian Armed Forces. He
holds bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering
from the Royal Military College of
Canada, and also completed the Harvard Business School
Advanced Management Program for senior executives.
"Ben has earned this promotion," said Brad Tilden, Alaska's CEO. "His strong leadership skills,
and his commitment to safety, operational reliability and customer
service have helped make Alaska
the top performing U.S. airline on many of the measures most
important to our customers. In addition to leading his team to
deliver consistent operational excellence and superior customer
service, Ben will also lead the integration process for the planned
acquisition of Virgin America, which will help us create the
premier airline for people living on the West Coast."
Campbell, based in Portland,
Oregon, joined Horizon as president and chief operating
officer in July 2014 with more than
25 years of experience in maintenance and flight operations. Prior
to joining Horizon Air, he served as vice president of maintenance
and engineering at jetBlue Airways and as vice president of safety
and operational performance at American Airlines. He joined
American in 1988 after serving four years in the U.S. Air Force.
Campbell holds a master's of business administration in management
from the University of Texas Arlington,
and a bachelor's in business administration/management from
Louisiana Tech University.
"Since Dave came onboard just shy of two years ago, he's brought
new energy to Horizon, and has positioned it for substantial growth
from our West Coast hubs," Tilden said. "Under Dave's leadership,
Horizon Air has become more customer focused and more productive,
and has recently placed the largest aircraft order in its history –
an order for 30 Embraer E175 regional jets."
The appointments are effective immediately.
Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK),
together with its partner regional airlines, serves more than 100
cities through an expansive network in the United States, Canada, Costa
Rica and Mexico. Alaska
Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional
Carriers in North America" in the
J.D. Power North American Airline Satisfaction Study for nine
consecutive years from 2008 to 2016. Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan
also ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Airline Loyalty
Rewards Programs" in the J.D. Power Airline Loyalty/Rewards Program
Satisfaction Report for the last three consecutive years. For
reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and
information, visit the Alaska Airlines Newsroom
at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.
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SOURCE Alaska Air Group, Inc.