Newsmakers: TWA's Vilmain, US Air's Tracas Add Sales Hands

<B> Newsmakers: TWA's Vilmain, US Air's Tracas Add Sales Hands</B>

By Jay Campbell

Key sales posts at both Trans World Airlines and US Airways have changed hands over the last couple months after TWA's vice president of sales, Jan Wood, retired and US Airways' head of corporate sales, Richard Pasciuto, moved to the New York district office of Air France.

At TWA, Gary Ravan has taken over as general manager of sales. Ravan reports to Joe Vilmain, who himself was appointed in late January to the post of vice president of sales and reservations. At US Airways, Paul Leyh, previously the president of Stratton Travel in Oakland, N.J., and formerly with American Airlines and Sabre, has taken the position of director of corporate programs. Leyh reports to vice president of sales Steven Tracas, who also was recently appointed to his position (<I>BTN</I>, July 28, 1997) and also spent most of his career with American."I am delighted to join US Airways' sales team," Leyh said. "As we continue to develop travel programs that support the needs of our corporate customers, we will work toward establishing this airline as the carrier of choice."

TWA, too, wants to be your airline. "We have a real good story to tell," Vilmain said. "Our operational performance demonstrates that if you really focus, you can have success." Under Ravan, TWA has recreated its New York and St. Louis sales regions, as well as the East and West regions for the remainder of the national market. "While we have great presence in some of these places, particularly St. Louis, we have to make sure we're giving back to the customer appropriately," Vilmain said. TWA also has hired several new people at the managing director level within the sales and reservations structure.

Under Tracas at US Airways, the sales organization has made structural changes, partly in connection with its international growth. A spokesperson said those changes would be described in more detail at a later date. Leyh is responsible for all of US Airways' global corporate sales activities, as well as US Airways Shuttle sales efforts, distribution and automated marketing.

TWA's Vilmain, who joined the airline in 1964, previously was vice president of international sales and services.