Phoenix Sky Harbor International Aviation Symposium 2016

Currently Randy Babbitt is the Senior Vice President of Labor Relations for Southwest Airlines following his retirement from service in the public sector with the FAA. Prior to joining Southwest and after confirmation by the US Senate, Randy Babbitt served as the FAA’s sixteenth administrator from June of 2009 through December 2011. Mr. Babbitt came to the FAA from Oliver Wyman, an international management consulting firm, where he was a partner. A veteran pilot and internationally recognized expert in aviation and labor relations, he was recognized by Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine with the Laurels Award for outstanding achievement in Commercial Air Transport.

Barry Biffle serves as President and CEO of Frontier Airlines. He has over twenty years of aviation industry experience and has held roles with specific experience in turn-around situations and development of ultra-low cost carriers. For the past ten years, Biffle has focused on pioneering the ULCC model’s development in North and South America. He most recently served as CEO of VivaColombia, the first ULCC in South America. Prior to that he served as EVP of Spirit Airlines where he played a key role in the financial turn-around and development of the company. He also held several management positions with US Airways and AMR Corp. where he began his airline career.

Holger Blankenstein has been Volaris' Chief Commercial Officer since 2009. He heads the areas of sales, marketing, and planning, including revenue management, and he also oversees the cargo business. Mr. Blankenstein was responsible for structuring the airline's various channels of distribution and entrance into the US market, as well as developing and implementing its unbundled fares and ancillary products. Previously, Mr. Blankenstein was director of strategic development planning at Grupo TACA and was a consultant at Bain & Company. He has a Master’s of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Business degrees from Goethe University in Frankfurt.

Captain James L. Bowman is the SVP of Flight Operations and Director of Operations. He is responsible for the management and training of nearly 5,000 pilots and staff. He also oversees 341 trunk aircraft flying in and out of 375 airports globally. Captain Bowman served previously in numerous Flight Management positions at FedEx over his 30 year career. He currently flies as Captain on the B777F. He is a graduate of Indiana State University. Prior to FedEx, he was a pilot in the US Navy. Captain Bowman currently represents the Cargo Airline Association as a member of the FAA Next Gen Advisory Committee.

Dr. Chi is at the helm of Air China’s unprecedented expansion in North America. A well-known speaker at international forums, Dr. Chi’s thoughtful insights into the issues facing commercial aviation in the modern world, and China’s role as the global leader in passenger growth, have earned him several accolades. A recipient of the China Business Leadership Award from the US-China Policy Foundation, Dr. Chi is a passionate advocate of close bilateral relations between two of the world’s largest economies. His keynote speech on US-China relations at Town Hall L.A. was featured in Vital Speeches of the Day, alongside President Obama’s.

Matt Hafner started his Southwest Airlines career in 1988 as a Dallas Ramp Agent, moving quickly up the ranks in Ground Operations. He held numerous leadership positions, including Manager of Ramp and Operations, Station Manager, Regional Director, Director Ground Operations, Senior Director Ground Operations and Vice President Ground Operations. Mr. Hafner oversaw the successful acquisition of AirTran Airways as Vice President Integrated Operations, before joining Network Operations Control (NOC) as Vice President in 2012. As Vice President of the NOC, he oversees Southwest’s 3,800 flights a day.

Henry Harteveldt is one of the travel industry’s most well-known and respected analysts and advisors. He started Atmosphere Research, a travel industry research and advisory firm, in September 2011, after spending nearly 12 years as head of Forrester Research’s global travel research practice. Before becoming an analyst, Mr. Harteveldt spent more than 15 years at travel brands such as TWA, Continental, and GetThere. He lives in San Francisco and is a graduate of the Tulane University School of Business.

John Jackson is Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Korean Air's North and South America regions. He is the first non-Korean to hold this executive position in Korean Air’s 45+ years of operating between Asia and the Americas. He oversees all passenger marketing and sales functions, including loyalty programs, corporate/agency sales, eCommerce, advertising, P.R., alliances, and pricing. Mr. Jackson attended the University of Denver School of Law and Warwick University (UK) Graduate School of Business. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Pacific Asia Travel Association and is married with two children.

Stephen Kavanagh was appointed Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board 1st March 2015. Stephen joined Aer Lingus and undertook a variety of roles in operational and commercial departments culminating in his appointment to the executive in 2006. As CCO and CSPO, Stephen led the re-positioning of the airline’s network strategy, which transformed Aer Lingus’s transatlantic business, significantly expanded the network reach and underpinned the growth in profitability enjoyed over the last six years. Stephen’s leadership of Aer Lingus within IAG continues to focus on bringing consistent and affordable product to market driven by the voice of the airline's guests.

Mike Korens is an independent consultant who advises aviation-related clients on public policy and government relations matters. After practicing law at the Washington, DC office of Arnold & Porter, Mike was appointed Majority Counsel for the Senate Aviation Subcommittee. He served as the Senate’s official observer for US-UK and US-Japan bilateral aviation negotiations and staff lead for the Senate’s oversight of the ValuJet 592 and TWA 800 tragedies. In 2000, he was selected to serve on the Bush-Cheney Transition Team to advise on transportation policy issues. Mike received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, and his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

As COO of Grupo Aeroméxico, Corneel Koster is responsible for the operations and maintenance performance and service delivery of Mexico’s leading global airline group, operating 650 flights a day. He also oversees Aeroméxico’s Cargo and Ground Handling subsidiaries. Mr. Koster has a truly global leadership experience in the airline industry in senior operational, as well as commercial roles held at Aeroméxico, Virgin Atlantic, KLM, KLM Cargo, Air France KLM and a ground handling subsidiary. Corneel displays a huge passion for delivering an excellent customer experience, while continuously strengthening operational performance and teamwork.

Max Kownatzki is a Senior Vice President with Lufthansa Group based in Frankfurt, Germany, overseeing business development and large-scale growth projects for the Eurowings Group. Previously, he ran strategy for Qantas’ Jetstar Group in Australia. Prior to Qantas, he spent 11 years with Oliver Wyman in New York as a Partner in the aviation practice. He holds a master's and doctoral degree from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, and has worked in over 20 countries around the world. Dr. Kownatski holds a current Commercial pilot’s license, is married, and has two children.

Vikram (Vik) Krishnan is a San Francisco-based Partner in the Aviation practice of Oliver Wyman. He advises clients in the passenger airline, air cargo, and aerospace sectors, with a particular emphasis on strategy, pricing and revenue management, network and route strategies, and operational excellence (e.g., crew productivity, on-time performance). Over his 18 year career, Mr. Krishnan has advised airline clients on every continent and lived in the Middle East for several years. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Palmer Scholar, and an AB (magna cum laude) in economics from Dartmouth College.

Jeff Martin is JetBlue’s Executive Vice President Operations, responsible for Flight Operations, Technical Operations, System Operations, Safety, Security, NextGen initiatives, and JetBlue University, the airline’s award-winning training division. He joined JetBlue in March 2012 and oversees the safe and secure operation of the airline’s 950 daily flights and fleet of nearly 217 aircraft. Prior to JetBlue, he had a 22-year career with Southwest Airlines, most recently as Vice President – Operations Coordination. Mr. Martin also holds an Airline Transport Pilots license and is captain qualified on the DC-10, Boeing 737, and Airbus A320 aircraft. He has logged over 12,000 hours of military and civilian flight time and is a veteran of the United States Air Force. He graduated with a B.S. in Marketing from Pittsburgh State University.

Tadashi Matsushita is a 20 year veteran at ANA. After engaging in the core corporate management of ANA, he challenged industry conventions and initiated the discussion for Open Skies policy in Japan. He then served as Director of Strategic Planning, Asia Pacific, where he led the launch of Japan’s first budget airline, Peach Aviation. He assumed the position of Director, International Government Affairs in 2011, and now holds the additional role of VP Strategic Planning - The Americas where he is responsible for formulating and executing medium-term business plans. His current endeavors in this role include broadening ANA’s presence in The Americas.

Scott McCartney writes “The Middle Seat,” the Wall Street Journal’s weekly column devoted to airlines and travel. On the airline and aviation beat for more than 20 years, he was part of the Wall Street Journal team that won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He is a contributor to “The Travel Detective” on PBS television, and makes numerous TV and radio appearances. A Boston native and graduate of Duke University, McCartney spent 11 years with The Associated Press before joining the Journal. He is an instrument-rated, multi-engine private pilot, and lives in Dallas.

Andrew Parker is an experienced senior executive in the media, communications, government, aviation, and tourism sectors. He has worked in Australia, Dubai, the United States, and United Kingdom. He is currently Group Executive, Government, Industry and International Affairs at Qantas Airways, reports to the Group CEO, and is a member of the Group Management Committee. In this role, Mr. Parker’s primary responsibilities are the Group’s international relations, public affairs, government, public policy, and regulatory affairs. He is heavily involved in key commercial partnerships, as well as communications strategy. He is a member of the Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) Advisory Board and the IATA Industry Affairs Council.

Sandra Pineau-Boddison is Senior Vice President of Customers for United. In this role, she provides a unified customer experience focus with an emphasis on offering an industry-leading, high quality product with a commitment to premier customer service. She is responsible for the carrier’s customer experience, food services, clubs, and customer contact center functions, where she oversees a team of approximately 7,000 employees working across the network and at headquarters. Ms. Pineau-Boddison has also served as Senior Vice President of United Express, Vice President of Customer Contact Centers, and Vice President of Food Services at United.

Paul Rinaldi is serving his third three-year term as NATCA President, representing over 20,000 air traffic controllers and aviation safety professionals. Mr. Rinaldi has dedicated his career to enhancing the safety of our National Airspace System. His leadership has led to unprecedented collaboration between the Union and the Federal Aviation Administration, resulting in various successful safety initiatives. Mr. Rinaldi served 16 years as an air traffic controller at Washington-Dulles Tower (IAD) and three as NATCA Executive Vice President. He holds positions on the NextGen Advisory Committee, the FAA Management Advisory Council, and is a Vice President on the AFL-CIO’s Executive Council.

Will Ris recently retired after 20 years as Senior Vice President, Government Affairs for American Airlines. In this role, he served on the nine member executive leadership team of American Airlines. Mr. Ris joined American after 13 years with the Wexler Group, a Washington, DC-based government relations firm. From 1975 to 1978, he was a trial attorney for the former Civil Aeronautics Board. He was also principal counsel to the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on transportation deregulation legislation. He is a long-standing member of the Board of Directors of the Advanced Navigation & Positioning Corporation in Hood River, Oregon and serves on the Government Advisory Board of Aireon, Inc.

Chuck Schubert was named American’s Vice President – Network and Schedule Planning in November 2011. He is responsible for the planning and development of American's worldwide route network, including scheduling 6,700 daily flights to cities throughout Asia, Europe, North America, and South America for American and American Eagle, as well as the development of the company’s long-term network strategy. Before joining American in 2000, he spent eight years with the Boeing Co. in a variety of finance roles. Schubert holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Southern Methodist University as well as a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri.

Dave Semanchik is a Senior Attorney at the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA). Before coming to ALPA in 2007, Dave handled commercial and employment litigation in private practice. He graduated from Princeton University and from American University’s Washington College of Law in Washington, DC. Dave represents ALPA before the Department of Transportation on matters including carrier fitness proceedings, licensing applications, alliance applications, and consumer protection issues, and represents airline labor before the State Department as a representative to its air service negotiations. Dave serves on the governing bodies of the American Bar Association’s Air & Space Law Forum and the International Aviation Club of Washington, DC.

Jitendra (Jimpy) Sindhwani is the President & Global Head of Aviation Business Services at IBS Software Services. Mr. Sindhwani is a veteran professional with over 19 years of diverse experience in management consulting and IT services for different verticals including Communications, Media, and Entertainment. Prior to joining IBS, he was with Infosys for 16 years and contributed significantly to the company’s growth across different regions, clients, and verticals. He has also led several strategic projects, including M&A initiatives, penetrating into the emerging digital and SMAC space. He completed his Engineering studies from IIT Delhi, India and is a Post Graduate in Management from IIM Bangalore, India. He lives with his family in Washington DC.

Brett Snyder is the author of the award-winning airline industry blog, “Cranky Flier,” and President of Cranky Concierge air travel assistance. Mr. Snyder previously worked in pricing, marketing, and strategy roles with several airlines, including America West and United. In 2005, he created the travel search site for leading comparison shopping company PriceGrabber.com. Mr. Snyder graduated from The George Washington University with a bachelor’s in business in 1999 and Master of Business Administration from Stanford University in 2004.

Nancy Sparks joined FedEx in 1984 and has held various positions with the Company in Memphis, Tennessee, Brussels, Belgium, and Washington DC. At the present time, she supervises legal support for postal and aviation regulation and other transportation-related regulations within the FedEx legal department, as well as international and domestic environment, export controls and economic sanctions, and restricted commodities matters. She is a member of the board of directors of the International Aviation Club (Washington) and is also the chair of the Industry Affairs Committee of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Bruce Spear is a Partner in Oliver Wyman’s Aviation practice, based in New York. He has over 20 years of experience helping companies in the travel and transportation sectors drive top line growth and improve profitability. Prior to joining Oliver Wyman, he was Senior Vice President and head of Business Development for Panalpina in North America. He was previously a Vice President in Corporate Finance at Banc of America and Deutsche Banc Securities; and a Manager in A.T. Kearney’s transportation consulting practice. Mr. Spear holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania.

Karen Walker is Editor-in-Chief at Air Transport World. She joined the US-based magazine in that position in August 2011 and oversees the editorial content and direction of ATW’s digital, print, data, and events products. Her previous positions include Chief Editor at Armed Forces Journal, Americas’ Editor at Air Transport Intelligence, and Executive Editor at Airline Business. Ms. Walker studied in the UK, earning a degree in journalism. She has lived and worked in France, the UK, the US, and Singapore, where she was Asia Editor for Flight International.

Willie Walsh became Chief Executive Officer of International Airlines Group (IAG) when the company was created in January 2011, joining from British Airways where he was CEO from October 2005. IAG is one of the world’s largest airline groups and is the parent company of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and Vueling. Mr. Walsh is Chairman of Ireland’s National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA). The NTMA provides a range of asset and liability management services to the Government. These services include borrowing on behalf of the Government, management of the national debt, the State Claims Agency, and the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund.

Andrew Watterson serves the people of Southwest Airlines as Senior Vice President of Network and Revenue. Mr. Watterson joined Southwest Airlines as Vice President of Network Planning and Performance in October 2013. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Planning and Revenue Management at Hawaiian Airlines. Before Hawaiian, Mr. Watterson was with the consulting firm Oliver Wyman in Dallas for 12 years, serving as a partner in the aviation, aerospace, and defense practice. His background also includes four years of service in the US Army. Mr. Watterson holds a bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA from Vanderbilt University.

The Phoencian 6000 East Camelback Road Scottsdale, Arizona 85251

Attendees can fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX)

Phoenix is the anchor of a sprawling, multicity metropolitan area known as the Valley of the Sun. The area is known for high-end resorts, Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses and vibrant city, but the biggest attraction may be the sunshine and winter warmth.