JetBlue CEO said on Monday Robin Hayes will step down next month and be replaced by the airline’s president, Jonah GeraghtyShe will be the first woman to head a major US airline.
Geraghty, 51, joined JetBlue The New York-based airline has played increasingly prominent roles in recent years, including president and chief operating officer in 2005 and in 2018.
Geraghty said she was honored for the new job and said she looked forward to “as we execute our strategic initiatives, return to profitable growth and generate sustainable value” for shareholders.
“The extraordinary challenges and pressures of this job have taken their toll and, following my doctor’s advice and speaking with my wife, it is time for me to focus more on my health and wellness,” Hayes said in a statement. said in a statement.
The change at the top will take place on February 12. That’s when it happens JetBlue He waits for a federal judge in Boston to decide if he can buy Spirit Airlines $3.8 billion in a bid to quickly become a rival to America’s largest airlines. The Justice Department sued to block the deal, and a trial was held last fall.
Hayes, 57, is a former British Airways executive who joined JetBlue In 2008 and became CEO in 2015. He forced the airline to start Transatlantic flights And build partnerships in the Northeast together American Airlines. However, the deal with American dissolved after the Justice Department successfully sued to overturn it.
JetBlue It is the country’s sixth largest airline by revenue, just behind the fifth largest airline, Alaska Airlines. Hayes has sought mergers with American, Delta, United and Southwest for several years to become closer in size.
Tried to buy JetBlue Virgin America In 2016, but Alaska Airlines moved on. In 2022, when JetBlue beat Frontier to a deal with Spirit, the nation’s largest low-cost airline.
