Travelport GDS today announced the appointment of former US Airways executive Travis Christ to serve as president and managing director of the Americas.
Christ will oversee the company's global distribution system business-which includes the Galileo and Worldspan properties-throughout the United States, Canada and Central and South America. Travelport said Christ is charged with "enhancing" business relationships with agencies, suppliers and technology customers in those regions.
Beginning Oct. 20, Christ will report to Armin Meier, Travelport GDS chief commercial officer, out of the Atlanta office. "Travis brings a unique blend of business qualities, having both an analytical mindset and the ability to forge partnerships, which together make for a great fit with Travelport," Meier said in a statement. "Within the travel industry, Travis has a reputation for finding creative solutions and critical alliances that lead to successful outcomes for all parties. The addition of Travis to the Travelport team clearly demonstrates our commitment to bring refreshing change to the travel distribution model."
Most recently vice president of sales and marketing at US Airways, Christ left the carrier in mid-September, upon which US Airways senior vice president of schedule planning and alliances Andrew Nocella assumed Christ's responsibilities
(BTNonline, Sept. 4). Christ in 1997 joined as manager of route planning and scheduling for America West Airlines, which merged with US Airways in 2005. He also held positions at Continental Airlines.