Thomas W. Horton

Last updated
Thomas W. Horton
Born (1961-05-24) May 24, 1961 (age 63)
Hampton, Virginia, U.S.
Alma mater Baylor University
Southern Methodist University
Occupation(s)Lead director at Walmart Inc. and General Electric
Former chairman, president and CEO of American Airlines Group, Inc.
Children2

Thomas W. Horton (born May 24, 1961) [1] is a partner of Global Infrastructure Partners and is lead director at Walmart Inc. and General Electric Corp. [2]

Contents

He was chairman, president, and CEO of AMR Corporation until it merged with US Airways Group to form American Airlines Group, Inc., then became chairman of American Airlines Group, Inc. and American Airlines. [3]

Horton is credited with reinventing American Airlines and improving the company's overall performance, and leading the company through one of the most successful restructurings of that scale, culminating in a merger with US Airways. [4] [5]

Early life and education

Horton was born in Hampton, Virginia [6] and spent much of his life in Texas. [7] He earned a BBA degree, magna cum laude, from Baylor University and an MBA degree from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in 1985. [8] [9]

Career

Horton began his career at AMR in 1985 in finance. [6] From 1998 to 2000, he led the airline's International business based in London. Horton was appointed chief financial officer in January 2000. [10]

He joined AT&T in 2002 as chief financial officer and was later appointed vice-chairman. [6] He is credited with helping to create the new AT&T, having led the evaluation of strategic alternatives in 2005, ultimately leading to the combination with SBC which formed the new AT&T. [9]

Horton returned to AMR in March 2006 and served as executive vice president of finance and planning and chief financial officer of AMR and American. [9] [11] [12] In 2008, he was named US top CFO by Institutional Investor magazine. On July 21, 2010, he was named president of the airline. [9] [11]

On November 28, 2011, Horton was named CEO and chairman of American Airlines. [13] [14] He led a team to restructure the company, while lowering costs, including in debt, leases, and its aircraft fleet, while negotiating labor contracts, among AMR's chief goals, [15] to restore company profitability and competitiveness. [14]

Simultaneously, Horton led a renewal of American's fleet and products with a landmark aircraft deal in which Boeing and Airbus would provide new airplanes to replace the older ones. [16] The deal was the largest aircraft order in history, with 460 new single-aisle jets from the two manufacturers and $13 billion in financing. Horton's team led the airline through a rebranding including a new aircraft livery featuring a new logo and flag on the aircraft tail. [17] [18]

During restructuring Horton secured a deal for the anticipated buyout from US Airways in which AMR creditors and unions owned 72% of the new company, and US Airways shareholders owned 28%. [14] US Airways had originally sought a controlling stake in the combined company. The combined company became American Airlines Group. Through the purchase and merger, Horton achieved full recovery for bondholders and, unusually, during a bankruptcy process, substantial recovery for equity holders. [10] [19] The new American Airlines Group became the world's largest airline. Horton completed his tenure as chairman in June 2014. [10]

On April 15, 2019, Horton became a partner of worldwide infrastructure equity investment firm Global Infrastructure Partners. [20] [21]

Board

Horton served on the board of Qualcomm Inc. from 2008 to 2019 and was its presiding director from 2015 to 2019. [10] [22] On November 21, 2014, he was appointed to the board of Walmart and was later named its lead director. In September 2015, he was appointed lead director of General Electric's board of directors. [23] He joined Warburg Pincus as senior advisor that October. [21] Horton is also a member of the executive board of the SMU Cox School of Business and is a member of the board of the National Air and Space Museum. [5] Horton served as chairman of Oneworld, the global airline alliance, from December 2011 until March 2014. [24]

Personal life

Horton is married with two grown children. [5] He is an avid runner and a jet-rated commercial pilot. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Airways</span> Flag carrier of South Africa

South African Airways (SAA) is the flag carrier of South Africa. Founded in 1934, the airline is headquartered in Airways Park at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg and operates a hub-and-spoke network, serving 13 destinations in Africa and two intercontinental destinations to Perth, Australia and São Paulo, Brazil. The carrier joined Star Alliance in April 2006, making it the first African carrier to sign with one of the three major airline alliances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald J. Carty</span> Canadian-American businessman

Donald J. Carty, is a Canadian-American businessman who is chairman of Porter Airlines. Carty also is a director of VMWare, Hawaiian Airlines and Betterez. He was previously chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines, from 1998 to 2003. He is the past Chairman of Virgin America and E-Rewards, Inc.. Carty is also a past director of Dell, CN Rail, Sears, Placer Dome, Barrick Gold, CHC Helicopters, Brinker International, Talisman Energy, EMC Corporation, and Gluskin Sheff. In January 2007, Carty became the vice chairman and chief financial officer of Dell. On June 13, 2008, Carty retired from day-to-day operations, but stayed on as a director. He is a past chairman of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, a former member of the board of trustees of both Southern Methodist University and Queen's University and of the board of directors of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts Foundation and the Dallas Theater Center. He is on the executive board of the SMU Cox School of Business.

Envoy Air is an American regional airline headquartered in Irving, Texas in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group and it is paid by fellow group member American Airlines to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on American Eagle flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by American Airlines.

US Airways was a major airline in the United States. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon became a commercial passenger airline. In 1953, it was renamed Allegheny Airlines and operated under that name for a quarter-century. In October 1979, after the passage of the Airline Deregulation Act, Allegheny Airlines changed its name to USAir. A decade later it had acquired Piedmont Airlines and Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA), and was one of the U.S.'s seven transcontinental legacy carriers. In 1997, it rebranded as US Airways.

Qatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C., operating as Qatar Airways, is the flag carrier of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, the airline operates a hub-and-spoke network, flying to over 170 international destinations across five continents from its base at Hamad International Airport. The airline currently operates a fleet of more than 200 aircraft. Qatar Airways Group employs more than 43,000 people. The carrier has been a member of the Oneworld alliance since October 2013, and the official company slogan has been "Going Places Together" since 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Etihad Airways</span> Flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates; based in Abu Dhabi

Etihad Airways is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates. Its head office is in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, near Zayed International Airport. The airline commenced operations in November 2003, and is the second-largest airline in the UAE after Emirates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herb Kelleher</span> American airline businessman (1931–2019)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AMR Corporation</span> Defunct airline holding company

AMR Corporation was an airline holding company based in Fort Worth, Texas, which was the parent company of American Airlines, American Eagle Airlines, AmericanConnection and Executive Airlines. AMR filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2011. The company emerged from bankruptcy on December 9, 2013, and at the same time announced that it would merge with US Airways Group to form a new company, American Airlines Group.

Gerard J. Arpey is the former chairman, president, and chief executive officer (CEO) of AMR Corporation, parent company to American Airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">US Airways Group</span> Airline holding company

US Airways Group Inc. was an airline holding company based in Tempe, Arizona. US Airways Group operated US Airways, along with its subsidiaries PSA Airlines, Inc. and Piedmont Airlines, Inc., which are wholly owned but marketed under the branding of US Airways Express. It merged with America West Holdings Corporation, parent of America West Airlines, in 2005, and the combined company adopted the better-known US Airways name; the two airlines' operating certificates merged in 2007. It also operates additional companies that provide associated services. ACE Aviation Holdings, the Canadian parent of Air Canada retained a roughly 6.1% investment stake in US Airways Group. The route network covered destinations in 47 states, as well as international destinations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Parker</span> American businessman

William Douglas Parker is an American businessman who is the chairman of American Airlines Group, the parent company of American Airlines. Parker previously served as chief executive officer of the airline from 2001 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cox School of Business</span> Business school of Southern Methodist University

The Edwin L. Cox School of Business is an American business school that is part of Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. The SMU Cox School of Business is headquartered in four buildings on SMU's 210-acre main campus five miles north of downtown Dallas and has a second campus in Plano, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Command Airways</span> US regional airline (1966–1988)

Command Airways was a United States regional airline based at the Dutchess County Airport in Wappinger, New York, just outside Poughkeepsie, which was operational from 1966 to 1988.

RwandAir Limited is the flag carrier airline of Rwanda, operating from its main hub at Kigali International Airport. The airline serves 25 destinations across various regions, including East Africa, Central Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

American Airlines Group Inc. is an American publicly traded airline holding company headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It was formed on December 9, 2013, by the merger of AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines, and US Airways Group, the parent company of US Airways. Integration was completed when the Federal Aviation Administration granted a single operating certificate for both carriers on April 8, 2015, and all flights now operate under the American Airlines brand.

Álex Cruz de Llano is a Spanish businessman who is known as the former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of British Airways and former CEO of Vueling.

This is the history of United States commercial air transportation company American Airlines.

Bamboo Airways JSC is a Vietnamese airline founded in 2017. Commencing operations in January 2019, this carrier declared that it would be following the "hybrid airline" model. Bamboo Airways operates a fleet of the narrowbody A320 Family aircraft, having hubs at Noi Bai International Airport and Tan Son Nhat International Airport alongside its registered base, Phu Cat Airport.

Breeze Airways, legally Breeze Aviation Group, Inc., is an American low-cost airline headquartered in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. The airline was founded by David Neeleman, who previously co-founded Morris Air, WestJet, JetBlue, and Azul Linhas Aereas. Breeze's operations launched on May 27, 2021, with its inaugural flight from Tampa International Airport to Charleston International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Kirby</span> American airline executive

John Scott Kirby is an American executive and the CEO of United Airlines. He was president of US Airways and American Airlines, as well as president of United Airlines from 2016 to 2020, when he was promoted as CEO.

References

  1. ↑ "A look at AMR Corp. CEO Thomas W. Horton". Boston.com . Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Press Release – H. Lawrence Hulp, JR. Named Chairman and CEO of GE". General Electric. October 1, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Corporate Structure – AMR At-A-Glance". American Airlines. Archived from the original on July 16, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  4. ↑ Alex Davies (November 12, 2013). "American Airlines, US Airways Strike A Deal To Merge Into The World's Biggest Airline". Yahoo! Finance. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Hall, Cheryl (February 24, 2019). "Former American Airlines CEO helps pilot the boards of three U.S. corporate icons". The Dallas Morning News . Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 "AT&T Investor Relations: AT&T Profile7#58; Senior Leadership Team". Nices.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Thomas W. Horton, Exec. VP – Finance, CFO, American Airlines Inc". Walkersresearch.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Distinguished Alumni @ SMU Cox". Cox.smu.edu. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Thomas W. Horton – Chairman, CEO and President, AMR Corp. and American Airlines". American Airlines. March 30, 2009. Archived from the original on December 1, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Carey, Susan (May 30, 2014). "How Tom Horton Shaped American Airlines". The Wall Street Journal . Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  11. 1 2 Terry Maxon (July 22, 2010). "Tom Horton moves up ranks to become president at American Airlines, AMR". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on December 1, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Thomas W. Horton Profile". Forbes . Archived from the original on December 5, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
  13. ↑ Phil Milford, Mary Schlangenstein & David McLaughlin (November 30, 2011). "American Airlines Parent AMR Files for Bankruptcy as Horton Is Named CEO". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  14. 1 2 3 Shawn Tully (February 28, 2013). "Inside the world's biggest airline merger". CNNMoney.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2013.
  15. ↑ De La Merced, Michael J (November 29, 2011). "American Airlines Parent Files for Bankruptcy". Deal Book. The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  16. ↑ Terry Maxon (July 20, 2011). "Horton says Boeing and Airbus are offering the airplanes as operating leases". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Memphis Photos". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  18. ↑ Terry Maxon (January 16, 2013). "Horton hints at American Airlines rebranding 'very soon'". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  19. ↑ Tully, Shawn (April 10, 2014). "The untold story of American Airlines' big payout". Fortune . Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Global Infrastructure Partners Announced the Appointment of Tom Horton as a Partner" (Press release). GlobeNewswire. April 15, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  21. 1 2 "Tom Horton, Global Infrastructure Partners: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  22. ↑ Waters, Richard (April 19, 2019). "Qualcomm head proves his mettle fending off Apple". Financial Times . Archived from the original on September 19, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Mr. Tom Horton". Director & Boards. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  24. ↑ "American Airlines' Tom Horton elected oneworld Chairman". Cathay Pacific News. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
Business positions
Preceded by President of American Airlines
2010 – 2013		Succeeded by
J. Scott Kirby
Preceded by Chairman and CEO of American Airlines
2011 – 2013		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.