Worldspan Hires Industry Vet To Manage Major Accounts

Global travel distribution company Worldspan this month announced the hiring of Andrew Cuomo to the position of vice president of account management. Cuomo actually joined Worldspan on Nov. 21 in a position that faces corporate customers, airlines—primarily Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines—and travel management companies. Cuomo said that facing all the players in the distribution chain would help to keep a handle on all the wants and needs.

Cuomo is charged with the task of managing "all sales and service programs of Worldspan's key customers and major global accounts," the company said in a statement.

Cuomo, a former Sabre executive, said he is coming back into the global distribution system business at a notable time, marked by heightened competition and new entrants, when demonstrating the value of the GDS is more important than ever.

"Where the airlines have to deal with the low-cost carriers, we have to deal with the new entrants and the alternative distribution systems of the world," he said. "The airlines have been challenged in both their yields and bringing their costs down, and no one would have ever predicted that they could change their cost structure as radically as they have. In comparison to that, Worldspan has done the equivalent—but in a healthy financial scenario where they still had strong financials. They've gone through a challenging period in which costs have been substantially reduced and I think that's our advantage today. We're now able to respond with a new cost structure, provide customers the services they need and hopefully at a price point that reflects the value that we bring the channel."

A 20-year industry veteran, Cuomo has held positions with American Airlines parent AMR Corp. and then with Sabre when it was spun off in 2000. There, Cuomo held the position of chief of staff and corporate officer after serving as senior vice president. Most recently, Cuomo for two years worked as a consultant to large U.S.-based travel packagers and distributors.

"Andrew's more than 20 years of travel industry experience are highly relevant to our major customers around the world. His distinctive background and leadership skills will be a powerful asset for Worldspan and will benefit our customers immensely," said Rakesh Gangwal, chairman, president and CEO of Worldspan.