Sujata RaoSt. George’s appointment couldn’t come at a more critical time for the airline. His decades of experience and ‘safe pair of hands’ approach will be warmly welcomed by many.
JetBlue (Nasdaq: JBLU) today announced the appointment of Marty St. George to be the company’s next president. He will report to Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue’s current president and incoming chief executive officer.
It’s back to the future for JetBlue. The airline has confirmed that one of its best-known former executives will be returning to the company later this month.
Geragthy’s appointment follows the news that long-time chief executive Robin Hayes will leave the company.
St. George was a cornerstone of JetBlue’s leadership team until his exit in 2019, making him one of the airline’s longest-serving executives.
He joined the firm in 2006 as head of planning, deciding where the airline would fly and when. He earned greater responsibility over time, later serving as the company’s senior vice president for marketing.
By the point of his departure in 2019, he had reached the rank of chief commercial officer. St. George is credited with leading the team that created the airline’s popular Mint business class product. He is also described by the airline as a “key architect” of JetBlue’s focus city strategy.
After leaving JetBlue, he was interim chief commercial officer at Norwegian Air Shuttle and also provided airline strategy consulting services. In 2020 he was appointed as chief commercial officer at LATAM Airlines Group.
A Big Brief at an Important Time
In his new role, St. George will head up critical elements of JetBlue’s commercial functions. These include network planning, airline partnerships, revenue management, marketing, and loyalty programs. He’ll also keep check over corporate communications and customer support teams.
St. George will have additional oversight of JetBlue Travel Products – a rapidly expanding direct sales channel that aims to “enhance and disrupt the travel experience as a one-stop shop for all travel needs.”
In a statement, Geraghty described St. George as “the right leader to bring onboard” at an important time for the airline. She said he held “a passion for our industry like few others.”
Since 2020, St. George has served as chief commercial officer at LATAM Airlines Group, Latin America’s largest airline holding company, in Santiago, Chile. Prior to joining LATAM, he operated an airline strategy consulting practice, where he served airline and travel industry clients, including a role as interim Chief Commercial Officer at Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA. He previously served as a member of JetBlue’s leadership team from 2006-2019.
Over the span of 13 years with JetBlue – beginning as vice president, planning, later senior vice president marketing and commercial, and ultimately executive vice president and chief commercial officer – St. George was a key architect of the carrier’s focus city strategy, led its successful entry into airline partnerships, and oversaw its distinctive brand and innovative product strategy. Prior to JetBlue, he held marketing and network planning leadership roles over nearly two decades at United and US Airways.
In his new role as president, St. George will lead JetBlue’s commercial functions – including marketing, loyalty, network planning, airline partnerships, sales and revenue management – along with customer support, enterprise and operational planning, and corporate communications. He’ll also have oversight of JetBlue Travel Products (JTP), an important growth area for the company, which will continue to be led day-to-day by its president, Andres Barry.
“With more than 30 years of experience in aviation and a passion for our industry like few others, Marty’s the right leader to bring onboard as we embark on our focused plan to get back to profitability,” Geraghty said. “I look forward to working with Marty to ensure that our crewmembers are set up for success in serving our customers and can deliver the reliability we know is critical to generating financial returns and powering long-term, sustainable growth.”
St. George added: “I’m energized to be returning to JetBlue at this pivotal time in its history. JetBlue has incredibly passionate people and one of the best brands in the industry. I’m eager to get to work to help drive the business forward for the benefit of our crewmembers, customers, and owners alike.”
St. George has a degree in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
About JetBlue
JetBlue is New York’s Hometown Airline®, and a leading carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Los Angeles, Orlando and San Juan. JetBlue, known for its low fares and great service, carries customers to more than 100 destinations throughout the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada and Europe. For more information and the best fares, visit jetblue.com.
JetBlue Corporate Communications
Tel: +1.718.709.3089
corpcomm@jetblue.com
Source: JetBlue
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