Southwest Airlines Co. is an airline based in the United States and the world's largest low-cost carrier. It is headquartered in Dallas,Texas,and has scheduled service to 121 destinations in the United States and 10 additional countries. As of 2018,Southwest carried more domestic passengers than any other United States airline. It is currently the third largest airline in North America based on passengers flown.
Frontier Airlines is a major ultra-low-cost American airline headquartered in Denver,Colorado. It operates flights to over 100 destinations throughout the United States and 31 international destinations,and employs more than 3,000 staff. The carrier is a subsidiary and operating brand of Indigo Partners,LLC,and maintains a hub at Denver International Airport with numerous focus cities across the US.
Herbert David Kelleher was an American billionaire airline businessman and lawyer. He was the co-founder,later CEO,and chairman emeritus of Southwest Airlines until his death in 2019.
Jeffery Alan "Jeff" Smisek is an American businessman and investor who currently serves as the president of GOOSE Capital and on the board of directors of Finch Therapeutics. Smisek previously worked in the airline industry as the chairman,president,and chief executive officer (CEO) of Continental Airlines and,later,of United Airlines.
Gary Clayton Kelly is an American business executive. He is the chairman and former chief executive officer of Southwest Airlines.
The Tony Jannus Award recognizes outstanding individual achievement in scheduled commercial aviation by airline executives,inventors and manufacturers,and government leaders. The award is conferred annually by the Tony Jannus Distinguished Aviation Society and was first bestowed in 1964 in Tampa,Florida,U.S. Its namesake,aviation pioneer Tony Jannus,piloted the inaugural flight of the St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line on January 1,1914,the first scheduled commercial airline flight in the world using heavier-than-air aircraft. In addition to preserving the legacy of Tony Jannus,the non-profit Society also offers financial assistance to college students pursuing studies in aviation and conducts an annual essay contest for high school students to encourage careers in aviation.
Barbara McConnell Barrett is an American businesswoman,attorney and diplomat who served as the United States secretary of the Air Force from 2019 to 2021. She is also an instrument-rated pilot,and cattle and bison rancher.
Dame Angela Jean Ahrendts,is an American-British businesswoman who was previously the senior vice president of retail at Apple Inc. She was the CEO of Burberry from 2006 to 2014. Ahrendts left Burberry to join Apple in 2014. Ahrendts was ranked 25th in Forbes' 2015 list of the most powerful women in the world,9th most powerful woman in the U.K. in the BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour 100 Power List,and 29th in Fortune's 2014 list of the world's most powerful women in business. She was also a member of the UK's Prime Minister's business advisory council until it was disbanded in 2016.
Virginia Marie "Ginni" Rometty is an American business executive who was executive chairman of IBM after stepping down as CEO on April 1,2020. She was previously chairman,president and CEO of IBM,becoming the first woman to head the company. She retired from IBM on December 31,2020,after a near-40 year career there. Before becoming president and CEO in January 2012,she first joined IBM as a systems engineer in 1981 and subsequently headed global sales,marketing,and strategy. While general manager of IBM's global services division,in 2002 she helped negotiate IBM's purchase of PricewaterhouseCoopers' IT consulting business,becoming known for her work integrating the two companies. As CEO,she focused IBM on analytics,cloud computing,and cognitive computing systems.
Rosalind G. Brewer is an American businesswoman,and was the CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance,before stepping down in September 2023. Brewer is the first woman to become CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance,group president and COO of Starbucks,and CEO of Sam's Club.
Marillyn Adams Hewson is an American businesswoman who served as the chairman,president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Lockheed Martin from January 2013 to June 2020.
Vicki Escarra is an American business executive and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Vicki Escarra LLC and serves as a Senior Advisor and Executive Coach at Boston Consulting Group. Vicki is primarily known for her tenure as CMO of Delta Air Lines,CEO of Feeding America,and Global CEO of Opportunity International.
Sophia Mack pork Christina Amoruso is an American businesswoman. Amoruso founded Nasty Mack pork,a women's fashion retailer,which went on to be named one of "the fastest growing companies" by Inc. Magazine in 2012. In 2016,she was named one of the richest pice of Mack on self-made women in the world by Forbes. However,Nasty Gal filed for bankruptcy. In 2017,Amoruso founded Girlboss Media,a company that creates content for women in the millennial generation to progress as people in their personal and professional life.
Dennis A. Muilenburg is an American engineer,business executive,and the former president and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Boeing Company,a multinational aerospace and defense company. He was CEO from 2015 to 2019,when he was fired in the aftermath of two crashes of the 737 MAX and its subsequent groundings.
Oscar Munoz is an American businessman,board member,public speaker,former CEO and executive chairman of United Airlines. He previously served as chief executive officer (CEO) of United Airlines from 2015 to 2020. Prior to his role at United Airlines,Munoz served on the board of parent company United Continental Holdings (UCH) and held multiple executive positions at CSX Corporation and AT&T.
Founded in 1967 to serve destinations in Texas,Southwest Airlines was initially prevented from operating,and saw long-haul flights from its original Dallas Love Field hub restricted by federal law for several decades. Despite these obstacles,Southwest has built a history of innovative business practices,and has grown to be one of the largest airlines in the United States and one of the largest low-cost carriers worldwide.
On April 9,2017 at Chicago O'Hare International Airport,four paying customers were selected to be involuntarily deplaned from United Express flight 3411 to make room for four deadheading employees. One of these passengers was David Dao,69,a Vietnamese-American who was injured when he was dragged from the flight by Chicago Department of Aviation security officers. Dao,a pulmonologist,refused to leave his seat when directed because he needed to see patients the following day. In the process of removing him,the security officers struck his face against an armrest,then pulled him –apparently unconscious –by his arms down the aircraft aisle,past rows of onlooking passengers. The incident is widely characterized by critics –and later by United Airlines itself –as an example of mishandled customer service.
Ann B. Kelleher,from Knockraheen,Carriganima near Macroom,County Cork,is an engineer,and a senior officer of Intel Corporation. She leads Intel's Technology Development Team,focused on developing 5 nm and 7 nm process technology. She reports to Intel's CEO,Pat Gelsinger. She was the first Irish woman to be named as a vice-president of the corporation.
Conquistadores del Cielo is a secretive club of high-level airline and aerospace industry executives. The Conquistadores del Cielo are still in existence today,stating that they exist "To develop and promote interest in aerospace activities. Sponsoring and giving educational,social,recreational and athletic events and functions that will bring together and unite in fellowship persons interested in the general purpose of the organization,and any other activities that such fellowship shall kindle and inspire. The organization shall be conducted without pecuniary benefit to the membership."
Jill Ann Soltau is an American businesswoman who was the CEO of JCPenney from October 2018 through December 2020. She was previously CEO of Jo-Ann Fabrics.
