Former CEO of ATA Brings In-Depth Industry Experience, Proven
Track Record to UAL
United
Airlines Sunday announced John Tague has been named to the newly
created position of executive vice president - Customer, with
responsibility for Worldwide Alliances, Marketing, United Loyalty
Services, Advertising, Sales, Reservations and Cargo.
Tague served most recently as President and Chief Executive
Officer at ATA Holdings Corp., the tenth largest U.S. passenger
airline. Before that, he was Executive Vice President of Marketing
and Planning. At United, he will report to Glenn Tilton, chairman,
president and chief executive officer, and will assume his
responsibilities on May 12, 2003.
Formula For Growth?
At ATA, Tague was the architect of a business
strategy that enabled the company to successfully grow from $300
million in sales to $1.4 billion. He also negotiated transactions
that enabled ATA to move from one of the oldest fleets in the
industry to the youngest; managed aggressively the company's
successful post-9/11 response; and worked successfully with
financial sponsors and the investment community. During Tague's
tenure as CEO, ATA was named best-managed medium-sized airline
worldwide by Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine. Prior to
joining ATA, he headed Planning and Marketing at Midway, and helped
take revenues from $200 million to $750 million.
"John Tague truly understands the dynamics of this industry, its
customer base and the unique challenges we all face," said Tilton.
"As United focuses on revenue enhancement and the customer
experience, John's breadth of knowledge will serve us well not only
in his role as EVP-Customer, but as a member of our core executive
team."
Building A New Foundation
"United has an asset base, operating performance
record and, now, cost structure that give it an unmatched platform
from which to build, so I am particularly excited to have this
opportunity," said Tague. "United enjoys tremendous loyalty among
the traveling public and a powerful brand, and I am looking forward
to helping enhance the value that we can offer our customers.
During our discussions, I was particularly impressed with the
leadership of Glenn Tilton and his team. And I greatly admire the
tremendous positive contribution being made by United employees
both operationally on the job and financially. I am proud and
honored to be joining the people of United as we move forward."