JetBlue Airways this month 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. Sometime this summer, Hayes will move offices from one end of Queens, N.Y., to the other to head up many of JetBlue's corporate-facing initiatives, including sales and marketing, revenue management and network. Though the move is a matter of miles, Hayes will be shifting from a long-established global carrier to a younger U.S.-centric airline. However, JetBlue CEO Dave Barger said Hayes' international experience in part drew the carrier to him.
Neither JetBlue nor Hayes could say exactly when he'd take the new position, only noting it would be this summer. Hayes said, "I have to finish up some things at BA, but I'll be getting to JetBlue as soon as I can. I also want to make sure there's a smooth handover and transition here. My successor hasn't been announced yet. That's the first step. Once it has been announced, we'll have a handover and then I'll be free to move on."
Barger in a memo to employees this month stressed Hayes' international experience: "As we look to the future, international partnerships and other revenue opportunities carry great promise for our revenue strategy. 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 aerlingus.com. The agreement, however, does not extend to the global distribution channel. In December, Lufthansa agreed to take a 19 percent stake in JetBlue
(BTNonline, Dec. 13, 2007).Barger in the memo cited both of those undertakings. "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," he said. "Robin will build upon this success as we focus on commercial opportunities with the Lufthansa Group at JFK and other gateway cities."