Spirit Airlines has a new leader, announcing the replacement for former CEO Ted Christie who stepped down last week.
The ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) announced the appointment of Dave Davis, the former President and Chief Financial Officer of Sun Country Airlines, as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. Davis also gains a seat on the Spirit Aviation Holdings Board of Directors.
Davis takes the reins during a period of turmoil at the ULCC. Spirit recently emerged from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and was taken private by a group of investors. Unfortunately the carrier continues to hemorrhage cash with a merger being the only, likely, path forward.
Prior to his time at Sun Country, Davis served as the CFO for Northwest Airlines before its merger with Atlanta based Delta Air Lines. Davis also spent time with U.S. Airways prior to joining Northwest.
It will be interesting to see what direction he takes the business. While Sun Country is also a ULCC, its route map and business model are different than you’ll find at Spirit. His knowledge of legacy airlines may also come into play as Spirit tried to figure out what sort of airline it wants to be.
Robert Milton, Chairman of Spirit Airlines, said this about Davis taking the reins:
“We’re excited to welcome Dave as Spirit’s new President and CEO. He brings with him a wealth of experience and a solid track record of accomplishments from his many years in the airline industry. Dave’s background at both Northwest Airlines and, more recently, at Sun Country Airlines, positions him well to lead Spirit’s continued transformation.”
Davis himself commented on the appointment, stating:
“I am thrilled to join Spirit at this critical time in the company’s history. I look forward to working with the more than 11,000 Spirit Team Members to deliver value for our Guests, shareholders and the communities that we serve.”
In addition to Davis, Spirit also announced the appointment of two new senior executives. Duncan Dee joins the company as as Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications, having previously served as the Chief Operating Officer of Air Canada (Am I the only one that sees this as a massive step down?).
Trey Urbahn joins Spirit as its Senior Commercial Advisor and will support all aspects of Spirit’s commercial efforts including network, pricing and yield management, as well as the airline’s onboard configurations and offerings. Urbahn has worked at quite a few different airlines, alongside serial airline founder David Neeleman. His resume includes stints at Etihad, Breeze, Azul, TAP Air Portugal and JetBlue.
I’m interested to see what Spirit’s new CEO and executive do with the struggling carrier. The airline obviously needs some massive changes and I’m hoping that this group will be able to deliver.
Summary
Spirit Airlines has appointed Dave Davis as its next CEO. Davis previously spent time at Sun Country, Northwest Airlines, and U.S. Airways. I’m interested to see what direction he and his leadership team go with the airline in an effort to return to profitability.
