parnel

http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuot...6333192_newsml

This includes a new VP of customer service hired from Virgin ^

Super Larry

Maybe David Tait will be part of the next DO...

Stranger

Also on the CBC site:

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/business/050616/b061632.html

Interesting that the IT guy from Emirates becomes CFO, not IT honcho. Still, he might finally bring a competent outlook to the AC IT business, which was badly needed. Let's hope he is not just a bean counter but he really is competenet on the IT front and he gets used as a good resource.

Customer service from Virgin makes sense.

Was Frontier a leader in pricing models/marketing? Never heard...

Shareholder

Interesting group of gentlemen. Tait will definitely help recraft AC's service image, so this is a good addition and proof that AC realizes this aspect needs a new tact. Just hope he was the person who kept Branson in check from introducing too many of his wild ideas. An EMIRATES exec, eh. Most interesting, though AC might better put him in charge of IT. Not sure about the FRONTIER guy, but maybe it will help AC become more sympathetic to the folks out on the prairies.

Super Larry

Was it not against Emirates that RM make a lengthy speech two weeks ago at the Airlines conference? Maybe he already had some inside information...

californiadreamin'

I believe Virgin just turfed their own airport employees in favor of using local ground-handlers across the US. What does that mean for the future of the remaining stations in the USA with AC staff? Will we have to deal with more UA checkin headaches down the road?

airbus320

Here are more details on these executive appointments: areas of responsibiliy and direct reports.

"Sean Menke, formerly Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Frontier Airlines, joins Air Canada as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. Reporting directly to Montie Brewer, he will be responsible for all commercial aspects of Air Canada's worldwide operations including marketing, sales, scheduling, brand, research and product development, international affairs, alliances and Jetz, the carrier's specialty charter service. Prior to his appointment as COO at Denver-based Frontier Airlines, Mr. Menke oversaw all aspects of the airline's pricing, revenue management, scheduling, planning, advertising, brand management, sales, reservations, frequent flyer, e-commerce, customer service and ground operations activities. Mr. Menke holds a Bachelor of Science, Economics and Aviation Management, and a Masters Business Administration. His appointment is effective July 11, 2005.

Reporting to Mr. Menke are: Marc Rosenberg, Vice President, Sales and Product Distribution; Ben Smith, Vice President, Network Planning; Yves Dufresne, Vice President, International, Alliances and Regulatory Affairs; and on an operational basis, Claude Morin, President and CEO, Air Canada Cargo.

Joshua Koshy, formerly Senior Vice President, Information Technology at Emirates Group, joins Air Canada as the airline's Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Reporting directly to Montie Brewer, Mr. Koshy will be responsible for all aspects of Air Canada's financial reporting, Six Sigma and project management organization. At Dubai-based Emirates, he was responsible for financial services throughout the group prior to leading its information technology activities. Mr. Koshy is a qualified chartered accountant, Certified Information Systems Auditor and a qualified CDP from the Institute for the Certification of Computer Professionals, U.S.A. His appointment is effective August 1, 2005.

He replaces Rob Peterson, who continues in his role as Executive Vice President and CFO, ACE Aviation Holdings Inc., Air Canada's parent company.

Reporting to Mr. Koshy is Danielle Poudrette, Vice President, Corporate Initiatives.

David Tait, formerly Executive Vice President of Virgin Atlantic's North America operations, joins Air Canada as Senior Vice President, Customer Service. Reporting to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Rob Reid, Mr. Tait will be responsible for customers' airport and in-flight experience, call centres, customer solutions and customer service strategy. Prior to joining Air Canada, he led the start-up of Virgin Atlantic in the United States and was thereafter responsible for the carrier's North American operations. Mr. Tait holds an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in recognition of his services to the interests of British aviation in the United States. His appointment is effective September 1, 2005.

Reporting to Mr. Tait are Susan Welscheid, Vice President, Customer Experience, In-Flight; and on an operational basis, Chantal Baril President and Chief Executive Officer, Air Canada Ground Handling Services.


All three executives will be located at the airline's Montreal" Yahoo

Stranger

So, what still seems to be seriously missing is a competent IT honcho. With a sense of marketing. Doesn't look like this will be part of Joshua Koshy's portfolio.

Shareholder

You cannot compare an airline with a single flight a day from several airports to AC's situations at major US hubs. AC has the critical mass to maintain its own front line employees at LAX, LGA, ORD, MIA and other major centres. Where it doesn't make sense is at airports with one or two RJ flights daily. Also, STAR's new integrated res system should be coming on stream soon, and that will resolve some of the main UA/AC problems. AC has heard about station handling issues at least twice now at the YYZ and YVR Dos.

I guess my major concern is that all these guys are American, and that AC's own ranks haven't been able to provide the calibre of senior execs that could have filled these posts. But when you are the only real player in a country, you must draw this high end talent from other countries. It also speaks of the esteme AC and RM must be held in, to attract senior people from airlines like VIRGIN ATLANTIC and EMIRATES. Sorry to marginalize the FRONTIER fellow, but surely he's got more depth to his CV than this last stint would suggest.

Admiral Ackbar

Well my contract is up in a couple of weeks and I`m thinking of going back to Canada, Montie are you listening?

parnel

Why the concern......about non Canadians getting the jobs. Who says they are all Americans. AC lives in a global environment and should source their talent that way. Most of us here are just one or two generations from being Immigrants.

exAC

The common IT platform for STAR is currently dead in the water. They finally realized that bringing in old technology from the current batch of providers was a waste of money and have called for proposals for 'New Generation' technology.

exAC

Robert and Monties record of bringing in American hot-shots has been pretty dismal to-date and Montie is the only one to see any success. The rest have either left in a hurry or have been outright fired.

A number have been duds from United Airlines that were let go by Montie when he was their boss or held back from promotion by him when he was at UAL.

Let's see if this group does an better or any longer.

By the way, some of the lack-lustre management talent of the 90's that left AC are now holding positions around the world like President of DHL. Robert's attitude has been that if you have been with AC for any length of time or if you were from the CAIL side of things don't even think about a senior management job.

parnel

[QUOTE=exAC]I think that's a pretty poor way to describe things with the recent history AC has had. CCAA is not generally a career enhancing situation for most senior execs and Montie was brought in near the end of that period. The fact others have done well eleswhere speaks not at the ability to attract talent but possibility at the difficulty in running a beast that was the former AC. DHL must be a piece of cake besides AC. The business model is now a lot more simpler and structured which puts the onus on the operating company and lets each one develop its talent accordingly. I know they had these divisions before but they were not as focused as they are now. Aeroplan being a prime example. There is now distinct separation of the airline brand from the consumer program that aeroplan has become and we will see that distinction more and more clearly down the road.

.

That was two or three as I've been told and one retired.


No offence but having a new slate for a new way of doing business is not all bad. At least RM can succeed or fail with his own vision of the way things need to be done. His BOD is not a very compliant bunch this time around.

exAC

Parnel:

There have been more than two or three in one job alone in YYZ. This is not a recent phenomena, but it has been this way as long as RM has been with the airline.

I give RM all the praises in the world for the way that he runs the airline and I don't believe anyone else in the world could have done better. But, his people skills are crap. I was with another former AC person yesterday when we first saw the announcement. Their reaction was the standard, "I wonder if RM still inteferes with everything that his deputies do?" That is why the good people have walked out the door over the years. The first reaction from Montie and Robert is, "who can I hire from United".