A couple of years ago, I published a post about the airline CEOs that I respect the most, based on a question from a reader. In this post, I’d like to take an updated look at this topic, as quite a bit has changed since then, including some of my top picks. I’ll share my favorites, and then I’d love to hear what OMAAT readers think.
The airline CEOs I have the most respect for
Let me start by stating that I’m compiling a list of the major airline (or airline group) CEOs that I have the most respect for. I’m not suggesting they’re the “best” airline CEOs (since that’s hard to quantify), and I’m also not suggesting that my favorites should be the same as your favorites.
Before I share my picks, let me mention several things upfront:
- As an avgeek, I have a lot of respect for people who have dedicated their entire careers to aviation, because to me that’s really cool
- I have respect for different airline CEOs for different reasons, and I’m sure people will strongly disagree with some of my choices, and that’s fine
- I obviously don’t know everything about every airline, so I’m sure there are lots of great CEOs at smaller airlines that I’m just not that familiar with
- I’m sticking exclusively to current airline and airline group CEOs; there are lots of amazing former CEOs I respect, but I won’t be including them on this list
- I’m most impressed by CEOs who have really shaped the industry and have had a radical impact on their airline (or even country), rather than those who have just done a decent job, but haven’t really rocked the boat
With that out of the way, below are the airline CEOs I most respect, in no particular order…
Tim Clark (Emirates Airline)
Tim Clark is Emirates’ President (not CEO), but for all practical purposes, he runs the airline. Clark is an absolute legend in the airline industry, and has quite literally transformed Dubai and Emirates. He started his career at Gulf Air in 1975, and has now been President of Emirates for two decades.
Emirates is probably the world’s best known airline brand. The airline scaled Airbus A380s in a way no other airline has. And really, Emirates has turned Dubai into what it is today. A lot of the credit for that goes to Clark, because this has all been part of his vision.
I love listening to any interview with Clark, because he’s such a bright guy. He doesn’t just have a good grasp of his own airline, but he has a pulse on the entire industry that not many people have. He’s also remarkably honest in his interviews, and isn’t just pushing the narrative that suits his interests.
One thing I don’t love about Clark is that he’s not necessarily always a product guy. While Emirates’ passenger experience is very good overall, the airline invests selectively, and also has areas where it knows it’s just good enough, and it’s fine with that.
Just look at how long it has taken Emirates to introduce a new business class product, add fast Wi-Fi, etc. For that matter, Emirates’ new 777 first class was introduced in 2017, yet only nine jets have the product so far. The truth is that Clark is a numbers guy and in some ways not a product guy, and I sort of respect that, as much as I wish it were different, as a consumer.
Ben Smith (Air France-KLM)
Ben Smith has been CEO of Air France-KLM since 2018, and prior to that, was President of Air Canada.
I don’t envy the role of being head of one of the “big three” European airline groups. You have huge ultra low cost carrier competition on short haul flights, and competition from Gulf carriers on long haul flights.
Looking at Smith’s counterparts, you have Lufthansa’s Carsten Spohr, who primarily seems skilled at trying to create new low cost carrier concepts to pay staff less, all while seemingly being incapable of launching a new business class product in a reasonable timeline. And then you have IAG, which… I mean… is IAG.
By comparison, I consider Air France-KLM to be very well run. Smith is a bright guy, and does a good job balancing profitability, passenger experience, and keeping employees happy. For example, one of his first orders of business when he started at Air France-KLM was shutting down Joon, Air France’s low cost carrier. Even though it would cost the airline group a bit, he seemingly thought it was worth it for morale and product consistency.
On top of that, we’ve seen Air France and KLM continue to invest in premium products, with new business class products for both Air France and KLM, plus a new first class product for Air France. I think Smith is probably the most well-rounded airline CEO out there in terms of being able to balance various priorities. Since he’s only 54, I suspect Air France-KLM won’t be his last airline. As I’ve written about, I’m rooting for him to fix American, because I know he’s the guy for the job.
Ed Bastian (Delta Air Lines)
Delta is the most profitable airline in the US, and for that matter, the company’s management has been very consistent with its strategy. Ed Bastian has served as CEO of the airline since 2016 (and prior to that he served as President), and has continued the company’s positioning as a premium carrier.
Look, to be honest, I don’t think Bastian is the most transformative CEO ever, in the sense that I think he mostly continued the legacy of his predecessor. I also don’t fully buy into the hype of Delta being much more premium than other US airlines.
However, Bastian deserves a lot of credit for his consistent messaging to shareholders, customers, and employees, the company’s great labor relations (especially compared to other US carriers), and Delta actually investing in its product. Running a US airline profitably is no easy task, and that’s especially true when you try to make service a priority. But it’s something that Bastian does a great job with.
The pandemic also fundamentally transformed the industry, so to me it’s noteworthy how Delta entered the pandemic as the most profitable US airline, and continued that legacy after the pandemic. Clearly Delta is doing some things right.
So while I give predecessor Richard Anderson credit for Delta’s focus on people and reliability, and while I give Delta’s outgoing President Glen Hauenstein credit for Delta’s overall strategy, Bastian still deserves credit. With Bastian now being 68 and Hauenstein leaving the airline, I can’t help but wonder who the next generation of leaders at the airline will be.
Scott Kirby (United Airlines)
While Ed Bastian of course has the longest history of being a successful US airline CEO, he hasn’t really done much to rock the boat, but rather has just kept the company on the same course.
With that in mind, United CEO Scott Kirby has really impressed me since moving from American to United. At American (and US Airways and America West prior to that), he was known for being a bean counter. Meanwhile at United he has taken a much different approach, and is trying to make the airline more premium. I’m happy to see that, along with the general way he communicates about his vision for the airline.
It’s great to see United becoming such a global airline with an amazing route network, and also to see United investing in the interiors of its narrow body jets.
I do wish Kirby would focus a bit more on making MileagePlus a priority in terms of value for members, while the program now instead heads in the opposite direction. Furthermore, as much as Kirby talks about making United more premium, catering still remains an area that could use some help.
I also think Kirby probably has the most ego of anyone on this list, and maybe isn’t that great of a people person. But still, you can’t deny the transformation he has spearheaded at United.
Goh Choon Phong (Singapore Airlines)
Singapore Airlines is regarded as one of the best airlines in the world, and Goh Choon Phong has been CEO at the company for a staggering 15 years, since 2011. A ton has happened during his tenure at Singapore Airlines, but despite that, the carrier has achieved impressive financial results, all while continuing to offer a world class passenger experience.
For example, the airline has increasingly faced competition from low cost carriers within Asia, and competition from Gulf carriers on long haul westbound routes. For that matter, look at how challenging the coronavirus pandemic was for Singapore Airlines, and how the airline emerged stronger than ever. Under Goh, Singapore Airlines Group has also gone from four airlines to two, with the elimination of SilkAir and Tigerair.
Mesfin Tasew (Ethiopian Ailrines)
Africa is without a doubt the most challenging continent in the world for aviation, and very few airlines are actually profitable. Ethiopian Airlines is in a league of its own on the continent in terms of the way that it’s able to operate globally, reliably, and sustainably.
Tasew has done a phenomenal job managing the company during a time that has been challenging for the country, and that says nothing of the political challenges he has faced. Sure, Ethiopian Airlines may have about 37 different kinds of business class seats, but you’ve gotta respect the vital role this airline plays for African aviation.
For that matter, Tasew’s predecessor, Tewolde Gebremariam, also deserves a lot of credit. However, as I said, I’m just focusing on current CEOs with this post.
Michael O’Leary (Ryanair)
My goal with this list is to make it a bit diverse, and recognize the different kinds of successful airline CEOs out there. So let me start by saying that this person runs an airline I don’t really want to fly, and I also take issue with some tactics he uses. However, one can’t deny the impact this airline has had on aviation, and how incredibly successful it has been. With that disclaimer out of the way…
Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary has probably had the single biggest impact on aviation in Europe over the past several decades. Richard Branson once famously said “if you want to be a millionaire, start with a billion dollars and launch a new airline.” Well, O’Leary is actually a billionaire, and he made his fortune from airlines. Not many people can say that!
O’Leary has been CEO of Ryanair since 1994 (yes, for over three decades), and has transformed the airline into the largest in Europe. While ultra low cost carriers are now common around the globe, Ryanair was the first large, successful ultra low cost carrier. The impact of ultra low cost carriers on European aviation has been huge, and O’Leary is largely to credit for that.
As you’d expect, O’Leary also isn’t without controversy. In addition to having a raunchy sense of humor, Ryanair has used some questionable employment tactics over the years, as most employees are hired through third parties, limiting the ability of staff to collectively bargain, or get competitive wages. I’m not a fan of that, and I’m not here to defend that.
However, there’s no denying that O’Leary is one of the main people to credit for airfare being relatively affordable in Europe. Even if you never fly with the airline, you’ve benefited from the innovation it has brought to the industry.
Bottom line
The airline industry is one of great passion, and that’s reflected in the people who run many of the biggest airlines.
I have a lot of respect for CEOs who built something amazing or took a different direction than the previous CEOs of the airlines, which is how I picked several of these people. Let me emphasize that just because someone isn’t on the list doesn’t mean I don’t respect them — I’m sure I missed some great ones, and for that matter, I’m just not familiar in great detail with every airline CEO.
Perhaps an even more interesting list would be the airline CEOs I respect the least, but I think I’ll avoid that for now (though I’m sure OMAAT readers can guess most of them). 😉
Which airline CEOs do you most respect?
