Robin Hayes, CEO of JetBlue Airways, speaks to friends following the airline’s inaugural flight from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York to London Heathrow Airport in London on Aug. 12, 2021.
Chris J. Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images
JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes will step down subsequent month, the corporate stated Monday. The airline’s chief working officer, Joanna Geraghty, will take the helm.
The departure comes as JetBlue tries to purchase funds service Spirit Airlines, an almost $4 billion mixture that the New York-based service argues will assist it develop and higher compete towards bigger rivals reminiscent of Delta and United.
The U.S. Department of Justice sued to block the merger final yr. A call by a federal choose in Boston is predicted in the approaching weeks after a trial that wrapped up late final yr.
Hayes, a greater than three-decade airline trade veteran, cited the high-pressure nature of the job in asserting his resignation by way of an organization statement.
“It’s bittersweet to retire from this airline I really like, however I’ll all the time really feel part of the JetBlue crew and be rooting for its continued success,” Hayes stated. “However, the extraordinary challenges and strain of this job have taken their toll, and on the recommendation of my physician and after speaking to my spouse, it is time I put extra give attention to my well being and well-being.”
Hayes will stay on the board of administrators till he leaves his publish on Feb. 12, at which level he’ll keep on as a strategic advisor and Geraghty will be a part of the board.
Joanna Geraghty, president and chief working officer of JetBlue Airways, speaks throughout a Bloomberg Television interview on the World Aviation Festival in London on Sept. 5, 2019.
Chris Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Geraghty has spent about twenty years at JetBlue, the vast majority of the comparatively younger service’s lifespan. During that point, the airline expanded internationally and launched a enterprise class.
But JetBlue, whose flights are concentrated in the closely congested New York-area airspace and different busy patches of the nation reminiscent of Florida, has struggled in latest months.
Geraghty will probably be tasked with righting the ship and, if the DOJ is unsuccessful in blocking a Spirit tie-up, overseeing that merger course of. JetBlue plans to convert Spirit’s vibrant yellow and densely packed planes into its personal cushier configurations.
Geraghty was named COO in 2018 and headed elements of the enterprise, together with its rising community and its income administration.
Correction: This story has been up to date to appropriate that Robin Hayes will stay on JetBlue’s board of administrators till he leaves his publish as CEO on Feb. 12, 2024.
Don’t miss these tales from CNBC PRO: