One of the key figures behind JetBlue’s Northeast Alliance (NEA) with American Airlines is moving to Delta Air Lines.
Scott Laurence will join Atlanta-based Delta as its new VP of network planning effective Jan. 18. He has more than two decades of airline industry experience, including multiple senior leadership roles at JetBlue.
Laurence will be tasked with strengthening Delta’s global network and joint-venture partnerships.
“Scott is well-positioned and brings a tremendous wealth of experience to build on Delta’s leading global network,” Delta SVP of network planning Joe Esposito said. “Combined with his innovative, strategic mindset and a spirit of servant leadership, he is a great fit for the Delta team.”
Laurence served in various commercial roles at US Airways and United Airlines for 13 years prior to joining JetBlue in 2008. He was promoted to head of revenue and planning in June 2019 and spearheaded the New York-based airline’s US northeast-focused partnership with American.
Despite being the subject of a US Justice Department (DOJ) lawsuit alleging that the tie-up is anti-competitive, the alliance between JetBlue and American will this summer cover about 700 daily departures from New York’s John F Kennedy (JFK) and LaGuardia (LGA) airports along with Boston Logan (BOS). The carriers are also codesharing on around 185 routes.
Laurence has been replaced as head of revenue and planning at JetBlue by Dave Clark, who joined the airline in May 2009 and was latterly VP of sales and revenue management. He has also served as VP of network planning.
In his new role, Clark will oversee network strategy, operational planning and analysis, and sales and revenue management, reporting to president and COO Joanna Geraghty.
“Over his tenure in network planning, JetBlue became the largest carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, and San Juan and firmly established itself as a leading carrier to the Caribbean and Latin America,” Geraghty said.
“He has modernized our revenue management tools, optimized our ancillary revenue offerings and distribution strategy, and led numerous initiatives that drove JetBlue’s leading revenue performance, which has been especially critical during the pandemic.”
Also on the move…
Julian Carr has joined Indian airport developer and operator GMR Airports as chief marketing officer of airlines and route development. He previously served as airline development director for the UK and Ireland, Africa and North America at MAG, owner of Manchester (MAN), London Stansted (STN), and East Midlands (EMA) airports. Prior to that, Carr was the aviation director at Manchester between April 2017 and September 2020. GMR Airports owns and operates Delhi (DEL) and Hyderabad (HYD).
Jim Parashos has moved to Melbourne Airport (MEL) as general manager international recovery. He assumed the role on Jan. 4 having previously served as Brisbane Airport Corporation’s executive general manager for aviation. Parashos spent almost five years at Brisbane after joining from Northern Territory Airports in February 2017.
Cardiff Airport (CWL) has hired Marc Watkins as its new aviation development manager. Watkins has more than 25 years of experience in the UK aviation sector, including working in route development roles Birmingham and Coventry airports. He has been tasked with building Cardiff’s relationships with existing airline partners and seeking new business opportunities. “Marc’s wealth of expertise in commercial aviation will be a huge asset to the business, and he will play a vital role in rebuilding our route network as we recover from the pandemic,” CWL CEO Spencer Birns said.
Hamburg Airport (HAM) has recruited Jan Schalk as senior manager for airline and traffic development. He moves from Stuttgart Airport (STR) where he served as VP of commercial management aviation from May to December in 2021.
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