Two-and-a-half years after American Airlines parent AMR Corp. announced it would evaluate selling or otherwise separating from its its American Eagle regional subsidiary, a stance it reaffirmed today, AMR named executive vice president of marketing Daniel Garton president and CEO of American Eagle.
AMR
in November 2007 announced it planned to unload its subsidiary, and though that hasn't happened, the company today "reiterated its intent to evaluate the possible divestiture of American Eagle," according to a press release.
In the meantime, longtime AA marketing head Garton, who
played a key role in the significant changes in distribution payments of 2006, returns to the carrier where he served as president for three years before joining AA in 1998.
"The AMR board of directors and I clearly recognize Dan's leadership and his many contributions to AMR," said AMR chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey in a statement. "Dan has remarkable talent and ability that—when coupled with his broad knowledge of the challenging airline industry and his insight from his time as president of American Eagle—make him uniquely qualified to lead American Eagle, especially as we begin a strategic evaluation of the regional airline."
Garton's appointment is effective immediately. He succeeds Peter Bowler, who announced his retirement in May.