Frontier Airlines is a major ultra-low-cost American airline headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates flights to over 100 destinations throughout the United States and 31 international destinations, and employs more than 3,000 staff. The carrier is a subsidiary and operating brand of Indigo Partners, LLC, and maintains a hub at Denver International Airport with numerous focus cities across the US and Puerto Rico.
JetBlue Airways Corporation, commonly stylized as and shortened to jetBlue, is a major United States low-cost airline headquartered in the Long Island City neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens. It also maintains corporate offices in Utah and Florida.
Spirit Airlines, Inc. is a major United States ultra-low cost airline headquartered in Miramar, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. Spirit operates scheduled flights throughout the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America. Spirit was the seventh largest passenger carrier in North America as of 2023, as well as the largest ultra-low-cost carrier in North America.
Etihad Airways is one of two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates. Its head office is in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, near Zayed International Airport. The airline commenced operations in November 2003, and is the second-largest airline in the UAE after Emirates. The name Etihad is the Arabic word for 'Union'.
David Gary Neeleman is a Brazilian-American businessman. He has founded five commercial airlines: Morris Air, WestJet, JetBlue Airways, Azul Brazilian Airlines, and Breeze Airways. Along with Humberto Pedrosa and Aigle Azur, he owned 45% of TAP Air Portugal. In 2017 he became a citizen of Cyprus.
AMR Corporation was an airline holding company based in Fort Worth, Texas, which was the parent company of American Airlines, American Eagle Airlines, AmericanConnection and Executive Airlines. AMR filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2011. The company emerged from bankruptcy on December 9, 2013, and at the same time announced that it would merge with US Airways Group to form a new company, American Airlines Group.
US Airways Group Inc. was an airline holding company based in Tempe, Arizona. US Airways Group operated US Airways, along with its subsidiaries PSA Airlines, Inc. and Piedmont Airlines, Inc., which are wholly owned but marketed under the branding of US Airways Express. It merged with America West Holdings Corporation, parent of America West Airlines, in 2005, and the combined company adopted the better-known US Airways name; the two airlines' operating certificates merged in 2007. It also operates additional companies that provide associated services. ACE Aviation Holdings, the Canadian parent of Air Canada retained a roughly 6.1% investment stake in US Airways Group. The route network covered destinations in 47 states, as well as international destinations.
William Douglas Parker is an American businessman who is the chairman of American Airlines Group, the parent company of American Airlines. Parker previously served as chief executive officer of the airline from 2001 to 2023.
Robert L. Fornaro was the CEO of Spirit Airlines. He was the chairman, president and chief executive officer of AirTran Holdings Inc. and its subsidiary, AirTran Airways, in Orlando, Florida, until AirTran was acquired by Southwest Airlines in May 2011, when he became a full-time consultant on the acquisition, sitting on the integration board.
David J. Barger is an American businessman, and one of the co-founders of JetBlue. He was the airline's chief executive officer (CEO) until his ouster in February 2015. He had been part of JetBlue's founding team and was on the board of directors. Barger is now an operating partner at Connor Capital SB.
James Reginald Hogan, is an Australian airline executive. Between 2006 and mid-2017, he was the President and CEO of Etihad Airways, one of the national airlines of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He was also the CEO of Gulf Air.
Thomas W. Horton is a partner of Global Infrastructure Partners and is lead director at Walmart Inc. and General Electric Corp.
American Airlines Group Inc. is an American publicly traded airline holding company headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It was formed on December 9, 2013, by the merger of AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines, and US Airways Group, the parent company of US Airways. Integration was completed when the Federal Aviation Administration granted a single operating certificate for both carriers on April 8, 2015, and all flights now operate under the American Airlines brand.
Oscar Munoz is an American businessman, board member, and public speaker who was executive chairman of United Airlines from 2020 to 2021, after having been chief executive officer (CEO) of United Airlines from 2015 to 2020. Prior to his role at United Airlines, Munoz served on the board of parent company United Continental Holdings (UCH) and held multiple executive positions at CSX Corporation and AT&T.
On April 9, 2017, at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, four paying customers were selected to be involuntarily deplaned from United Express Flight 3411 to make room for four deadheading employees. One of these passengers was David Dao, 69, a Vietnamese-American who was injured when he was forcefully removed from the flight by Chicago Department of Aviation security officers. Dao, a pulmonologist, refused to leave his seat when directed because he needed to see patients the following day. In the process of removing him, the security officers struck his face against an armrest, then dragged him - bloodied, bruised, and allegedly unconscious – by his arms down the aircraft aisle, past rows of onlooking passengers. The incident is widely characterized by critics – and later by United Airlines itself – as an example of mishandled customer service.
Basil Ben Baldanza is an economist and was the chief executive officer and president of Spirit Airlines from 2005 to 2016, a period in which he led the transformation of the company into an ultra-low-cost carrier.
Breeze Airways, legally Breeze Aviation Group, Inc., is an American low-cost airline headquartered in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. The airline was founded by David Neeleman, who previously co-founded Morris Air, WestJet, JetBlue, and Azul Linhas Aereas. Breeze's operations launched on May 27, 2021, with its inaugural flight from Tampa International Airport to Charleston International Airport.
Conquistadores del Cielo is a secretive club of high-level airline and aerospace industry executives. The Conquistadores del Cielo are still in existence today, stating that they exist "To develop and promote interest in aerospace activities. Sponsoring and giving educational, social, recreational and athletic events and functions that will bring together and unite in fellowship persons interested in the general purpose of the organization, and any other activities that such fellowship shall kindle and inspire. The organization shall be conducted without pecuniary benefit to the membership."
Basic economy class is a travel class offered by a number of airlines. The class has superseded economy class as the cheapest airfare option for passengers and generally comes with more restrictions when compared to standard economy fares. Restrictions vary between different airlines, but they generally include not allowing passengers to change or cancel tickets or select seats for free. They are seen as a strategy for market segmentation.
Robert Isom, is an American businessman and current CEO of the American Airlines Group and its subsidiary American Airlines. He previously served as president of the airline from 2016 to 2022.
