JetBlue Airways on Thursday announced the appointment of British Airways executive vice president for the Americas Robin Hayes to the position of executive vice president and chief commercial officer.
A JetBlue spokesperson today said Hayes would take to his post sometime this summer, as he still has "to close out some projects at BA." When he takes his position at JetBlue, Hayes will be responsible for the carrier's "revenue, network, sales and marketing strategy," the carrier said in a statement. A British Airways spokesperson today said the carrier has yet to name a successor for Hayes.
JetBlue CEO Dave Barger in a memo to employees this week stressed Hayes' international experience. "As we look to the future, international partnerships and other revenue opportunities carry great promise for our revenue strategy," Barger said in the memo. "Robin brings an extensive wealth of experience and expertise to this arena. As EVP for the Americas for British Airways, he was responsible for all commercial and operational strategy in the United States for one of the world's premier airlines. Robin knows our marketplace, and perhaps more importantly, he knows the international marketplace."
JetBlue has been attempting to expand its international reach, most recently through an agreement with Aer Lingus that went live last month, through which customers can book joint reservations through the aerlingus.com. The agreement, however, does not extend to the global distribution channel. In December, Lufthansa agreed to take a 19 percent stake in New York-based JetBlue
(BTNonline, Dec. 13, 2007). At the time, the carriers did not specify strategic opportunities from the financial deal, but in a joint statement they said they "look forward to exploring potential opportunities for further cooperation for the benefit of their customers."
Barger in the memo this week cited both of those undertakings, saying, "Our recently implemented partnership with Aer Lingus proves we have the systems and policies in place to expand the JetBlue network without adding undue cost to our operation. Robin will build upon this success as we focus on commercial opportunities with the Lufthansa Group at JFK and other gateway cities."