Robert Isom named executive vice president, chief operating officer; Daniel
P. Pon named vice president, human resources; Kerry Hester named vice
president, customer service planning; Senior Vice President, Customer
Service Anthony V. Mule announces retirement plans
TEMPE, Ariz., Sept. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- US Airways (NYSE: LCC)
today named airline industry veteran Robert Isom to the newly created
position of executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective
immediately. In this position, Isom, 43, will head up the airline's
operations, including flight operations, inflight services, maintenance and
engineering, airport customer service, reservations, cargo and the Express
operation.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050223/LAW097LOGO)
The airline also named Daniel Pon to the position of vice president,
human resources and Kerry Hester to the position of vice president,
customer service planning. Senior Vice President, Customer Service Anthony
V. Mule also announced his plans to retire after a 35-year career in the
aviation industry that spanned American Airlines, Pan American, America
West and US Airways.
Chairman and CEO Doug Parker said, "It's an exciting day for our
airline to add three experienced executives to our team. Each of them
brings a unique set of experiences and knowledge that will help us achieve
our goal to build a better airline.
"I also want to acknowledge the upcoming retirement of Anthony Mule,
who has worked with me and others at our airline for more than 11 years.
Anthony has been part of the aviation community for over 35 years and has
made a positive impact on many people along the way. We are grateful for
his contributions to our airline and look forward to building on the
foundation he has put into place."
Building A Better Airline
In the role of chief operating officer, Isom will report to US Airways
President Scott Kirby, who said, "We are very pleased to have an executive
of Robert's caliber join us. In addition to possessing a strong background
in international and domestic airline operations, Robert brings a good
balance of customer focused ideas and the right analytical skills to help
US Airways navigate in an ever evolving industry. He has a passion for, and
an acute understanding of the airline industry, which will prove invaluable
to the customers and employees of US Airways."
Isom comes to US Airways from GMAC, LLC where he last served as chief
restructuring officer. Prior to that time he was the senior vice president,
ground operations and airport customer service for Northwest Airlines. In
this position, he was responsible for directing all passenger, baggage and
security related activities at 180 domestic and international airports.
During his tenure, Northwest achieved industry-leading on-time departure
performance and deployed automation and self-service technology that
greatly improved the airport experience for passengers and employees alike.
Before that, Isom was vice president, international for Northwest
Airlines and was based in Tokyo for a period of time after the 9/11
attacks. There, Isom helped reorganize Northwest's international operations
and worked closely with government agencies to implement new security
measures.
Between 1995 and 2000, Isom was with the former America West Airlines
and held senior executive roles in revenue management, operations and
finance.
Isom started his career with the Procter and Gamble Manufacturing
Company. He holds a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering and a
bachelor of arts in English from the University of Notre Dame, and a master
of business administration from the University of Michigan. Isom, his wife
Amy and their three children will relocate to the Phoenix area.
Engaging Our Employees
US Airways also named Daniel P. Pon, 55, to the position of vice
president, human resources. Pon will report to Elise Eberwein, senior vice
president people, communications and culture, and will be responsible for
the airline's domestic and international human resources services,
including medical and retirement benefits, compensation, employee
assistance services, employee relations, drug and alcohol testing and
employee travel.
"Operating an airline our customers enjoy depends on having engaged and
enthusiastic employees," said Eberwein. "You simply can't have one without
the other, and the HR department's mission, to serve our internal
customers, will be further realized under Dan's leadership. Dan brings
comprehensive HR generalist experience as well as an extensive background
in benefits, administration and employee relations. Most importantly, he
will do a fantastic job overseeing the policies that make life easier for
our most important internal customer, the more than 36,000 people who are
US Airways."
Pon brings more than 15 years of human resources experience and was
most recently vice president, global compensation and benefits for
Sanmina-SCI of San Jose, California. With an employee base of 40,000, Pon
oversaw global benefits and retirement and managed that company's total
compensation programs. He brings additional experience from ASTAR Air Cargo
and was a key member of that air cargo company's 2005 hub relocation
project. Pon served as vice president, E*Trade Group from 1997 to 2001.
He holds a bachelor of arts in political science and a master of arts
in public administration from California State University, Hayward, and is
a member of the Society for Human Resource Management. He and his wife
Teresa will relocate to the Phoenix area.
Taking Care of Our Customers
US Airways also announced that Kerry Hester, 37, will join US Airways
later this month as vice president, customer service planning. In this
newly created position, Hester will coordinate the overall customer travel
experience -- from the initial reservation, to check-in at the airport and
onto the plane, all the way to what happens in irregular operations
situations.
Isom remarked, "Kerry is a strategic and analytical executive who also
has a passion for seamless customer service. Her mission at our airline
will include building on our current airport operations and working with
other departments to ensure that the travel experience is enjoyable and
efficient for our customers."
Hester joins the airline from Northwest Airlines. During her eleven
years at Northwest, she built a broad base of airline knowledge through a
variety of leadership roles in revenue management, planning, airport
operations, and reservations. Most recently, she served as managing
director, employee engagement. Prior to joining Northwest Airlines in 1996,
Hester worked at Aeroquip Corporation and Andersen Consulting.
Hester graduated with a bachelor of arts in economics from Tulane
University and earned a master of business administration from the
University of Michigan. She and her husband Doug will relocate to the
Phoenix area.
Parker concluded, "We have a great management team today and the
additional bench strength these three executives bring will help complete
our integration and build a great place to work for our people and an
airline that customers enjoy flying."
US Airways is the fifth largest domestic airline employing more than
36,000 aviation professionals worldwide. US Airways, US Airways Shuttle and
US Airways Express operate approximately 3,800 flights per day and serve
more than 230 communities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and
Latin America. The new US Airways -- the product of a merger between
America West and US Airways in September 2005 -- is a member of the Star
Alliance, which provides connections for our customers to 855 destinations
in 155 countries worldwide. This press release and additional information
on US Airways can be found at http://www.usairways.com. (LCCG)
-Fly With US-
SOURCE US Airways
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Related links:
http://www.usairways.com/
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NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050223/LAW097LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
US Airways Media Relations, +1-480-693-5729
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