Dec. 02--United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek has been elected chairman of the industry trade group Airlines for America, the group said Tuesday.
Smisek, chairman, president and CEO of Chicago-based United Continental Holdings, was elected to a two-year term, succeeding Gary Kelly, CEO of Southwest Airlines.
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker was elected to serve as vice chairman of the group, often referred to as A4A.
"I look forward to working with A4A and my industry peers to advocate for the U.S. commercial aviation industry, and for the customers, employees, communities and investors that rely on it to be financially and operationally strong," Smisek said in a statement. "This industry can drive even more economic activity and job growth than it does today, and it is in all of our stakeholders' collective interests to make that happen."
Before the merger of United and Continental Airlines, Smisek was CEO of Continental, originally joining the airline in 1995. He has been CEO of United since 2010.
"Jeff Smisek is a strong advocate for this industry, taking a lead in pushing for airlines to be run and treated as global businesses, so that they can contribute at an even greater level to the economy and jobs," said Nicholas Calio, CEO of Airlines for America, which says its members and their affiliates transport more than 90 percent of all U.S. airline passenger and cargo traffic.
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