DAL's new management team

[FDJ2]

Press Release Source: Delta Air Lines, Inc.


Delta Air Lines Announces New Leadership Team
Wednesday May 19, 7:02 am ET


ATLANTA, May 19, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL - News) today announced the formation of a new leadership team of seasoned airline industry and Delta veterans who understand Delta's unique culture and heritage and the demanding challenges ahead.
"As a team, our goal is to transform Delta into a pre-eminent company that regains sustained profitability by focusing our talents and energy on our people and customers," said Delta's Chief Executive Officer Gerald Grinstein. "To get there, our team must be characterized by determination, agility, and a willingness to run the company in non-traditional ways while respecting the Delta culture."

The new leadership team, which reports directly to Grinstein, includes:

-- Vicki Escarra, 51, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Service Officer, who will be responsible for Airport Customer Service, Reservation Sales, In-Flight Service, Air Logistics, and Customer Care. Escarra formerly was Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.

-- Mike Palumbo, 57, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, who will be responsible for Financial Planning Services, Financial Control, Treasury, Investor Relations, Tax, Risk, Supply Chain, Corporate Real Estate, Profit Improvement Initiatives, Fleet Acquisition, and Delta Technology. Palumbo joined Delta earlier this month.

-- Joe Kolshak, 47, Senior Vice President and Chief of Operations, who will be responsible for Flight Operations, Technical Operations, Operations Control Center, Safety, Security, and Delta Connection, Inc. Kolshak previously was Senior Vice President - Flight Operations.

-- Lee Macenczak, 42, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, who will be responsible for Human Resources, Global Diversity & Community Affairs, Labor Relations, and Delta Global Services. Macenczak previously was Senior Vice President - Sales & Distribution.

-- Paul Matsen, 44, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, who will be responsible for Consumer Marketing, Sales and Distribution, Pricing and Revenue Management, International & Alliances, and Song. Matsen previously was Senior Vice President - International & Alliances.

-- Greg Riggs, 56, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, who will be responsible for Legal,
Corporate Communications, and Government and Public Affairs. Riggs previously was Senior Vice President - General Counsel.
In a related move, Dan Lewis, 46, Managing Director, Corporate
Communications, will become head of Corporate Communications,
replacing Tom Slocum who retires June 1.

-- Jim Whitehurst, 36, Senior Vice President and Chief Network and Planning Officer, who will be responsible for Network Planning, Scheduling, Fleet Planning, Strategic & Corporate Planning, and Business Development. Whitehurst previously was Senior Vice President - Finance.


Five of the seven members are Delta veterans with approximately five to 30 years of service. All are well-grounded in the airline industry and have worked in various frontline and management positions.

"Each member of this team has made the decision to be part of the demanding work ahead as we make Delta a better airline than before," said Grinstein. "With their guidance and the entire company's support, we can make it through the difficult times ahead and lay a strong foundation that will sustain our company for decades to come."

These appointments become effective June 1, 2004. Additional management announcements will be announced soon.

Delta Air Lines celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2004. Delta is the world's second largest airline in terms of passengers carried and the leading U.S. carrier across the Atlantic, offering daily flights to 497 destinations in 86 countries on Delta, Song, Delta Shuttle, the Delta Connection carriers and its worldwide partners. Delta's marketing alliances allow customers to earn and redeem frequent flier miles on more than 14,000 flights offered by SkyTeam, Northwest Airlines, Continental Airlines and other partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. For more information, please visit delta.com.

 

[InclusiveScope]

New DCI leadership also

Joe Kolshak to head DCI also...


Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Delta names 7 'chief officers'


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New leadership team for struggling carrier

By James Pilcher
The Cincinnati Enquirer


Delta Air Lines on Tuesday underwent a major shakeup at the top, creating a new leadership team in hopes of pulling out of its financial tailspin and stabilizing its executive ranks.

Gerald Grinstein, who has been the Atlanta-based carrier's chief executive officer only since Jan. 1, appointed seven vice presidents to top positions. He named all of them "chief officers" for different areas, including customer service, finance, operations, marketing, network and planning, and human relations.

"The intent is pretty clear that now each area has become a priority," said Joe Kolshak, who takes over as senior vice president and chief of operations.

Kolshak also will oversee Delta Connection Inc., the subsidiary that controls the airline's regional network that includes Erlanger-based subsidiary Comair.

The news comes as Delta continues to bleed badly - it lost $383 million in the first quarter and has lost more than $3 billion in the last three years. Delta operates its second-largest hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, where it employs nearly 8,000 along with Comair.

In addition, several top officers left the airline since the beginning of the year, including former CEO and chairman Leo Mullin, former president and chief operating officer Fred Reid, former chief financial officer Michele Burns, and the airline's general counsel and top corporate communications executive.

The continued bad financial news and an impasse with the pilots' union over pay cuts that the airline says are needed to cut losses have forced Delta to publicly acknowledge that bankruptcy could become an option.

Grinstein didn't name a No. 2.

"We are all a team of equals," said Kolshak, 47, who is also a Boeing 757/767 captain and was formerly Delta's vice president for flight operations. "That was the intent, that we would all work together well and that teamwork would be a huge part of this.

"We certainly hope this helps morale," Kolshak continued. "There is always uncertainty around changes in leadership. Jerry came in and everyone was waiting for something to happen next. This finally fills the vacuum left by the other departures."

The other moves include:

• Moving chief marketing officer Vicki Escarra, 51, over to become senior vice president and chief customer service officer.

• Naming former senior vice president of international and alliances Paul Matsen, 44, as chief marketing officer.

• Naming Jim Whitehurst, 36, as senior vice president and chief network and planning officer. He was formerly senior vice president for finance.

• Appointing Greg Riggs, 56, senior vice president, general counsel, and chief corporate affairs officer.

• Naming Lee Macenczak, 42, as senior vice president and human relations officer.

The team also includes executive vice president and chief financial officer Mike Palumbo, 57, who was appointed earlier this spring.

Shares in Delta closed at $5.15, up 23 cents.

E-mail [email protected]

 

[rjcap]

Delta pilots

Who is Joe Kolshak ???????

why is he senior vp of operations ???????????

 

[InclusiveScope]

Joe Kolshak

Joe Kolshak, age 47, has been named Senior Vice President and Chief of Operations for Delta Air Lines. In this position, he will be responsible for Flight Operations, Technical Operations, Operations Control Center, Safety, Security, and Delta Connection Inc.

A seasoned Delta professional, Kolshak joined Delta in 1988 and has served in areas of increasing responsibility during his career. In the early 90s, he served as a Special Assignment Supervisor to the Vice President of Flight Operations and as a Flight Operations Manager and Assistant Chief Pilot in the Atlanta Domestic and Atlanta International Chief Pilot Offices. In 1996, he returned to the World Headquarters as General Manager - Flight Operations Administration. In 1998, Kolshak was promoted to Director - Investor Relations prior to assuming his most recent role as Senior Vice President - Flight Operations since November 2001. Additionally, Kolshak is a 757/767 Captain.


http://www.delta.com/inside/investors/corp_bios/kolshak/index.jsp
A native of West Palm Beach, Florida, Kolshak is a former U.S. Marine Corps Officer and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

 

[701EV]

Did Freddy B get his walking papers?

701EV

 

[~~~^~~~]

Delta's V.P. of Flight Ops is running Connection. Obviously there is no "operational integration." But what does it matter, this crew, although talented, has the primary task of arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Notice that most of Delta's competitors have improved their cash position, and Delta has even underperformed the basket case airlines. The difference is that Delta had a lot more money when this began and had further to fall.

From Aviation Week

Unrestricted Cash and Short-Term Investments for Big Six U.S. Airlines

Mar. 31, 2004 Dec. 31, 2003
American $3.2 billion $2.6 billion
United 1.9 billion 1.7 billion
Delta* 2.2 billion 2.7 billion
Northwest 2.9 billion 2.8 billion
Continental 1.6 billion 1.6 billion
US Airways* 1.0 billion 1.3 billion

In 2004 Delta has $300 million in planned capital expenses and around $600,000,000 in debt payments due. Depending on how much Delta's flight operations contribute to the bottom line the airline will probably have around 1.6 to 1.7 Billion at the end of the year. The BK number was forecast to be 1.4 to 1.6 Billion.

There is nothing in the way of serious negotiations happening with Delta's pilots.... So we wait for the inevitable....

 

[bafanguy]

Who is Kolshak ? Just another "pilot" who couldn't bring himself to actually soil his hands by being one. That would be a career ender. Who is Kolshak ? Harry Jr.

 

[ultrapilot]

Aviation Week Article

The problem with the "Aviation Week" article by David Bond that was quoted is that he failed to name the "big six" airlines. USAir is the number seven airline in the US and Southwest is the number six airline and has been for over a year.
Mr. Bond talked about the problems with USAir and how Southwest has pushed them to change the way they are doing business and then he failed to include them in his "Unrestricted Cash and Short-Term Investments for Big Six U.S. Airlines" article. If he wanted to include USAir then he should have included Southwest and then placed USAir in their seventh place position.
His article is only as good as his current research, although well written otherwise.