SEATTLE, Nov. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Air
Group announced today three key leadership advancements to position
Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air for future growth and success:
Ben Minicucci, as president of
Alaska, will be responsible for
all commercial and operational duties including rollout and
execution of the company's strategic plan; Gary Beck becomes Alaska's executive vice president and chief
operating officer; and Joe Sprague
returns to Air Group in the role of president of Horizon. All
appointments are effective immediately.
"Together, these talented executives bring more than four
decades of expertise working across a wide variety of divisions at
Air Group," said Brad Tilden,
chairman and CEO of Alaska Air Group. "We've doubled in size in
just the past five years. Their experience and leadership abilities
will be crucial as we continue to grow and navigate new
opportunities and challenges."
As president of Alaska,
Minicucci is responsible for both operations and commercial
functions, and will execute on the company's strategic plan
including a focus on Alaska's
network, flight schedule, sales, revenue management, safety and
operations, marketing and real estate. He has served in various
roles of increasing responsibility since joining Alaska in 2004 as staff vice president of
maintenance. Minicucci was promoted to president and chief
operating officer in 2016. Since 2017, he has led Alaska's integration with Virgin America,
which is nearly complete.
"These new responsibilities are a natural step forward for Ben,"
said Tilden. "He is driven to succeed, and committed to getting it
right – whether it's maintaining a strong safety record, improving
our operational performance, or making sure our guests have a great
experience."
Beck returns to Alaska as
executive vice president and chief operating officer, responsible
for overseeing day-to-day operations on the ground and in the air.
For the last two years, he has served as president and chief
executive officer of Horizon, Alaska's regional partner. Prior to that
tenure, he was vice president of Alaska's flight operations division from 2008
to 2015. Beck will report directly to Minicucci.
"We're fortunate to welcome Gary back to Alaska. He's a proven, trusted leader with
decades of airline experience who will be dedicated solely to our
operational safety and success as we grow Alaska," said Minicucci. "Gary's commitment to
safety and to people – along with his energy – will be an asset as
we continue to build on our foundation of operational rigor."
With Beck's move back to Alaska, Joe
Sprague has been elected the new president of Horizon.
Sprague is an admired, highly capable veteran of Alaska Air Group
who will continue the forward momentum for the airline. He will
report directly to Tilden. Sprague retired from Alaska in 2017 after serving at the company
for 17 years in a variety of leadership positions, including senior
vice president of external relations, vice president of marketing
and vice president of Alaska Air Cargo.
"Joe has a passion for Air Group and for the airline industry,"
said Tilden. "He has a great respect for all the accomplishments
being made by Horizon and its employees, and a well-grounded
appreciation of the importance of Horizon's partnership with
Alaska to provide outstanding
service to all of our guests."
Leadership background
Under Minicucci's leadership, Alaska aligned its operational and commercial
groups in 2018 to better facilitate cross-divisional planning while
keeping a focus on safety, reliability, profitability and a
remarkable guest experience.
Before joining Alaska Airlines, Minicucci spent seven years
serving in a variety of roles at Air Canada's technical operations
and, ultimately, vice president of heavy maintenance. He served in
the Canadian Armed Forces for 14 years prior to joining the
private aviation sector. He holds a bachelor's and master's degree
in mechanical engineering from the Royal Military College of
Canada. Minicucci is currently on the board of directors for
the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.
In his previous role at Alaska
as vice president of flight operations, Beck oversaw 1,600 pilots,
implemented sound operational processes and invested in
game-changing technology that included iPads for pilots and a
paperless flight deck. Before becoming the president and CEO at
Horizon Air, he led a joint integration team working toward a
single operating certificate during the acquisition process between
Alaska and Virgin America.
Beck studied aerospace engineering at Central Texas
College and business administration at Northern
Illinois University. He's a qualified
pilot on multiple aircraft with more than 15,000 flight hours.
Sprague launched his career in aviation more than 30 years ago
as a customer service agent for a commuter airline, where he later
became a commercial pilot. He has also held leadership positions
with a regional airline based in Anchorage, and managed commuter airline and
air charter policy for a Washington,
D.C.-based aviation trade association.
Sprague holds a bachelor's degree in aeronautical science from
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
and an executive Master of Business Administration degree from the
University of Washington.
Alaska Airlines and its regional partners fly 46 million guests
a year to more than 115 destinations with an average of 1,300 daily
flights across the United States
and to Mexico, Canada and Costa
Rica. With Alaska and
Alaska Global Partners, guests can earn and redeem miles on flights
to more than 800 destinations worldwide. Alaska Airlines ranked
"Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers
in North America" in the J.D. Power North America Airline
Satisfaction Study for 12 consecutive years from 2008 to 2019.
Learn about Alaska's award-winning
service at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com.
Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air
Group (NYSE: ALK).
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SOURCE Alaska Air Group Inc.
