Joanne Geraghty has been appointed CEO of budget airline JetBlue, making her the first woman to ever lead a major carrier in the United States.
As current president and COO of the company, Geraghty will succeed the current CEO Robin Hayes, who is stepping down for health reasons. She will begin the role on 12 February 2024 and join the airline’s Board of Directors as well.
“I’m excited to continue working with JetBlue’s 25,000 crewmembers who are as energized as I am about challenging the status quo and bringing humanity to an industry long dominated by the legacy carriers,” said Geraghty.
“I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished over the last 20-plus years, and I am looking forward to building on this momentum as we execute on our strategic initiatives, return to profitable growth, and generate sustainable value for our shareholders and all our stakeholders.”
Geraghty’s promotion is major news in the aviation industry in the US, where women are underrepresented in leadership roles. Here in Australia, three women currenlty hold positions as airline CEOs.
Jayne Hrdlicka has been leading Virgin Australia since November 2020, Stephanie Tully has been CEO of Jetstar since November 2022 and Vanessa Hudson took over as Qantas Group CEO in September 2023.
Other international airlines such as KLM, Air France, Aer Lingus and Vietjet also have female CEOs, as well as smaller US airline, Cape Air.
Geraghty’s career at JetBlue spans more than two decades, having previously served as Executive Vice President of Customer Experience, Chief People Officer, Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Director, Litigation and Regulatory Affairs before becoming President and COO in 2018, where she was responsible for the airline’s operations and commercial performance.
Board Chair Peter Boneparth congratulated Geraghty on her appointment, saying “the Board unanimously voted to transition the role to Joanna, knowing she is fully prepared to step into the role”.
“Joanna is a proven strategic leader and she is clearly the right person to carry JetBlue forward into this next chapter.”
Her time as CEO will begin as the airline navigates the next steps of an acquisition process that has been ongoing since July 2022 with the airline’s proposed merger with its rival Spirit.
The US Justice Department has initiated legal action against this merger, arguing it would result in increased airfares, JetBlue is the sixth-largest US airline and Spirit is the seventh-largest. A decision from the judge on whether JetBlue can complete the $3.8 billion acquisition is expected in the coming weeks.
Having spearheaded the acquisition of Spirit, former CEO Hayes has said he’s confident in the leadership Geraghty will provide moving forward, and that she’s “the right leader at the right time”.
“She guided the operation through the most turbulent time in airline history, has overseen the development and execution of new commercial initiatives, and has tirelessly worked to make JetBlue a better place for our crewmembers and customers,” said Hayes.
“She has been actively engaged in our integration planning with respect to our proposed Spirit transaction. In addition, Joanna and the team have developed a strong plan for JetBlue as we work to return to profitability.”