In trying to analyze the causes of some of the problems at United and concerns over the direction we're headed lately (removing appetizers from J class, seriously?), I had a look at the list of Directors and found almost none of them have any actual airline experience.
Simmons from SCF Partners - an energy company. What the heck does he know about the airline business?
Vitale - An educator? What the heck does he know about the airline business?
Walker - Global Brass and Copper - how did he get elected to the Board??
Yamarone - a stock broker, basically - I'm sure he's enjoying the 188K in fees he collected from UA for doing what exactly?
Munoz - VP of a railroad? Are we all just freight in his opinion?
Meyer - a banker...and his contribution to the airline business is..??
Isaacson - another educator/writer - I'm sure his airline knowledge is thorough :rolleyes:
Heppner - ah, here we have one person with some airline/aviation knowledge
Garvey - another person with an aviation background
Corvi - aviation (aircraft) experience, but no airline experience
Canale - elected to the BOD by the labor union
Tilton - airline experience, but definitely not the kind we need
Smisek - a lawyer taught how to run an airline by the greatest airline executive of the latter 20th century who apparently forgot everything he was taught
So I look at this list and I don't see sufficient skills or experience on the Board to properly advise and guide senior leadership on making the correct strategic and operational decisions. This is a major global airline - the most unique business in the world - not a library, hospital, bank or manufacturer of nails and screws.
Are these people collectively the root of our problem and preventing UA from making the correct decisions to move forward?
Simmons from SCF Partners - an energy company. What the heck does he know about the airline business?
Vitale - An educator? What the heck does he know about the airline business?
Walker - Global Brass and Copper - how did he get elected to the Board??
Yamarone - a stock broker, basically - I'm sure he's enjoying the 188K in fees he collected from UA for doing what exactly?
Munoz - VP of a railroad? Are we all just freight in his opinion?
Meyer - a banker...and his contribution to the airline business is..??
Isaacson - another educator/writer - I'm sure his airline knowledge is thorough :rolleyes:
Heppner - ah, here we have one person with some airline/aviation knowledge
Garvey - another person with an aviation background
Corvi - aviation (aircraft) experience, but no airline experience
Canale - elected to the BOD by the labor union
Tilton - airline experience, but definitely not the kind we need
Smisek - a lawyer taught how to run an airline by the greatest airline executive of the latter 20th century who apparently forgot everything he was taught
So I look at this list and I don't see sufficient skills or experience on the Board to properly advise and guide senior leadership on making the correct strategic and operational decisions. This is a major global airline - the most unique business in the world - not a library, hospital, bank or manufacturer of nails and screws.
Are these people collectively the root of our problem and preventing UA from making the correct decisions to move forward?