Scalebuilder From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 3 days 16 hours ago) and read 6303 times:
To lead any company in the transportation sector is no easy task. The industry is cyclical, unionized and highly competitive. Though some CEOs really "gets it" when it comes to providing the lead and the vision for an airline , and many just don't.
Gordon Bethune at CO stands for me as one of the most visionary of all airline CEOs in all of aviation history. To come up with the worst and the biggest failures should be easier as the number of choices are greater, but ultimately the task gets harder due to that. Carl Icahn at TWA comes to mind..
LONGisland89 From United States of America, joined Jan 2006, 633 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 6282 times:
United319 From United States of America, joined Jul 2006, 513 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 6261 times:
Best: Pat Patterson of UAL
Worst: well Leo Mullin started off good but hes going down with his company
DeltaGator From United States of America, joined Sep 2005, 6341 posts, RR: 16 Reply 5, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 2 days 21 hours ago) and read 6254 times:
Quoting United319 (Reply 3): Worst: well Leo Mullin started off good but hes going down with his company
News Flash: Mullin has been gone for a while now. I won't argue the fact he was a crappy CEO.
What about good old Frank Borman followed by Frank Lorenzo at Eastern?
[Edited 2006-07-08 22:42:22]
"If you can't delight in the misery of others then you don't deserve to be a college football fan."
September11 From United States of America, joined May 2004, 3623 posts, RR: 23 Reply 8, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 6237 times:
Best airline CEO in history? It has to be either Herb Kelleher or Eddie Rickenbacker.
As for worst airline CEO in history, I would change the category "worst airline CEO in history" to "most disliked CEO in history". With that, Francisco Anthony Lorenzo is the most disliked airline CEO as far as I am concerned.
Turnit56N From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 9, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 6232 times:
Worst: I can't believe it took until reply 5 before someone mentioned Frank Lorenzo....the man who destroyed every airline he touched. The only person that I know of who the government has declared unfit to run an airline, and who has been officially prohibited from managing one.
Best: I think there have been several great airline CEOs. Maybe not many that are currently running airlines, but there were many in aviation history. The afore-mentioned Eddie Rickenbacker, and more recently Gordon Bethune. Overall though, Herb Kelleher deserves this prize for running an airline that is very profitable, has amazing labor/management relations, and now has the highest paid pilots (in their type) at a time when other US airlines are struggling, having labor issues, and slashing employee wages. You may or may not like WN, but you have to admit that's an admirable record.
Scalebuilder From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 11, posted (6 years 10 months 2 weeks 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 6195 times:
Quoting Turnit56N (Reply 9): Worst: I can't believe it took until reply 5 before someone mentioned Frank Lorenzo....the man who destroyed every airline he touched. The only person that I know of who the government has declared unfit to run an airline, and who has been officially prohibited from managing one.
Sorry for sounding ignorant, but what is this guy up to these days? Is he still around?
I can certainly agree that his track record should be of no envy to anyone.
Herb Kelleher certainly deserves praise. I think we can credit this guy for successfully defining low cost air travel. His greatest success is that he decided to stick with this and perfect the strategy.
Gordon Bethune still stands out in my mind as one of the greatest of all times. He managed to rebuild CO to a premier mainline carrier from the dilapitated scraps that once defined this airline. His book on this topic is almost 8 years old, but still good and relevant reading.
Ha787 From United States of America, joined Jul 2006, 38 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (6 years 10 months 1 week 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 6112 times:
N8076U From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 425 posts, RR: 10 Reply 15, posted (6 years 10 months 1 week 6 days 10 hours ago) and read 6105 times:
I don't know about best, as there are a few good ones that others have mentioned, and I have a hard time deciding.
But worst has got to be Lorenzo, by so much farther than anyone else. He didn't just "do a bad job" at one airline, he purposefully neglected, mismanaged and tried to destroy MANY airlines.
A330Fan1 From United States of America, joined Jul 2003, 856 posts, RR: 12 Reply 16, posted (6 years 10 months 1 week 6 days 1 hour ago) and read 6091 times:
Mr Rolim, founder of TAM. brilliant guy, created a great airline with solid values (never been on it but from what i've read and heard, it's fantastic)
Jeremy From United States of America, joined May 2001, 668 posts, RR: 1 Reply 17, posted (6 years 10 months 1 week 6 days 1 hour ago) and read 6090 times:
One of the worst was William A. Franke at America West.
That airline would be long gone if he had been able to stick around!
You are now free to be sexually harassed and then terminated for filing a complaint--Southwest Airlines to me.
PanAm747 From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 4242 posts, RR: 10 Reply 18, posted (6 years 10 months 1 week 5 days 22 hours ago) and read 6082 times:
There is a special place in hell reserved for Carl Icahn.
TWA employees literally had a choice equivalent to choosing their favorite Manson family member - Carl Icahn, or Frank Lorenzo. Frank Lorenzo was the devil they knew, and Icahn was the devil they didn't. In the end, Icahn mismanaged, ignored, and bled the company dry, selling off ANYTHING profitable while keeping old and inefficient aircraft around.
When TWA FINALLY got rid of Icahn, he exacted a revenge worthy of a comic-book super-villain like Lex Luthor - the infamous Karabu agreement. Icahn's company got a piece of every ticket TWA sold that transitted STL. In the end, TWA couldn't survive.
Minor poetic justice - Icahn whined and complained when he lost his court case trying to apply the Karabu agreement to AA. AA said they only bought the assets, not taking over the airline, so Karabu didn't apply.
As much as I despise Frank Lorenzo, Carl Icahn is worse.
Pan Am:The World's Most Experienced Airline - P(oor) S(ailor's) A(irline): San Diego's Hometown Airline-Catch Our Smile!
Lucky42 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 19, posted (6 years 10 months 1 week 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 6034 times:
I agree Icahn is a total scumbag. I think even worse than Lorenzo. But of coarse my favorite loser is Doug Steenland of nwa.....Unfortuntately I have personal experience with the latter......
JFK69 From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 1381 posts, RR: 1 Reply 20, posted (6 years 10 months 1 week 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 6032 times:
Wrighbrothers From United Kingdom, joined Jul 2005, 1875 posts, RR: 10 Reply 21, posted (6 years 10 months 1 week 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 6025 times:
Sir Rod Eddington, he kept one of Europe's largest airlines aflot during its worst time
Willie Walsh could be a contender.
Wrighbrothers
Always stand up for what is right, even if it means standing alone..
TPAnx From United States of America, joined Aug 2005, 1021 posts, RR: 1 Reply 23, posted (6 years 10 months 1 week 3 days 21 hours ago) and read 5996 times:
Best: Kelleher of SWA (anyone who lists projectile vomiting as one of his talents has to be a good guy...and though I don't love SW, you have to admire its sucess.)
Worst: Lorenzo (Knew too many Eastern people during the bad times)
TPAnx
MEA-707 From Netherlands, joined Nov 1999, 4117 posts, RR: 37 Reply 24, posted (6 years 10 months 1 week 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 5993 times:
Albert Plesman of KLM did a pretty good job building a world class airline twice, (starting in 1919 and rebuilding it after 1945) considering how small and relatively backwards the Netherlands were in the early 20th Century.
As a kid I used to adore John Block who started Transavia, but I later saw how arrogant and airheady he was when trying to do it again with Air Holland.
The guy at Swissair around 1998-2001, Loepfe? should be in the worst top 10 as well.
nobody has ever died from hard work, but why take the risk?
25 DL4EVR: Traveling a lot on DL, I've talked to several ex-EA flight attendants. By the way they talk, Lorenzo should have a body guard with him 24/7.
26 Dw747400: I know of at least one other (operated a part 121 on a 135 certificate), and I'd be there are several more--most of them are operating small airlines
27 MattRB: A guy I'd want to work for. Canada has that in Michel Leblanc (Royal, JetsGo) Whom, if memory serves, is now part of the team at Porter..
28 COEXpilot: Gordon was a douchebag. But he kept our group steady. Best=Robert F. Six.. represent early CO years. Worst is wrong Most disliked=FRANK LORENZO. My d
29 ANCFlyer: Worst??? Neil Bergt, Western Airlines . . . sold outy to DL Carl Ichan - nuf said. Best??? Bethune
30 AirScoot: I'll put in my 2c for it being a tie between Icahn and Lorenzo. My favorite - though he as certainly no saint - has to be Juan Trippe.
32 Vatveng: If he can pull off the US Airways turnaround, then he definitely deserves to be on the hero list. But I'd say the jury's still out. They had a profit
33 1stfl94: Also the Air France CEO in the mid 90s. Basically managed to bring Air France from the absolute brink of bankruptcy to a very successful company. Does
34 Leskova: The one name that most certainly belongs to be mentioned as one of the top CEOs is Jürgen Weber: he took over an airline that had only not declared b
35 Scalebuilder: This is interesting. I would love to read up on this further. Any links out there with further detail and elaboration? Thanks! Scalebuilder
36 N231YE: I second that...Lorenzo and Icahn both are/were a disgrace to many, criminals to the others. My most questionable, Howard Hughes. He led many great f
37 Alaskaqantas: I'm not sure about best, but a good one would be Ronald F. Cosgrave first CEo and Chairman of AS, 1972-1979 then he worked on the board, he only just
38 AussieItaliano: For best, I'll have to go with Juan Trippe. For worst, it's a tie between Lorenzo and Icahn.
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