Southwest Airlines has made a significant leadership change by appointing Aileen Furlong as its new vice president of sales, a role she will officially take on effective January 6. Coming from a long and diverse career at United Airlines, Furlong is slated to replace Dave Harvey, who exited the company in May. This transition is part of a broader strategy to enhance Southwest Business, which focuses on cultivating relationships with large organizations, including corporate clients, government entities, and educational institutions.
Under the guidance of Southwest’s COO, Andrew Watterson, Furlong is expected to steer the sales operations towards a more structured and strategic framework. According to Watterson, her mandate will encompass not just managing sales, but also nurturing partnerships with channel partners and major organizations. His statement underscores Southwest’s intention to broaden its market influence, harmonizing ambitious sales targets with a customer-centric approach that is critical in today’s competitive airline industry.
This move follows a period of extensive deliberation by the airline’s leadership, highlighting the importance of choosing a candidate with deep industry knowledge and a diverse skill set. Watterson emphasized the operational shifts Southwest is poised to undertake, particularly integrating assigned seating and premium cabin offerings. These developments signal a departure from the airline’s traditional operating model and indicate readiness to adopt practices that appeal to business-focused clientele.
Furlong’s credentials include a remarkable 23-year tenure at United Airlines, where she held various pivotal roles spanning sales, marketing, customer experience, and loyalty programs. Notably, she served as managing director of global corporate sales from 2019 until her recent appointment. Her seasoned background equips her with a multifaceted understanding of the airline industry, making her a valuable asset in this new role.
Recognition in the industry is not foreign to Furlong either; she has been repeatedly honored as one of the Top 50 Women in Travel by the Global Business Travel Association, highlighting her influence and leadership within the travel sector. Additionally, her contributions to the GBTA WinIt advisory board from 2019 to 2023 further emphasize her commitment to advocating for women in travel and business.
Furlong’s transition to Dallas marks the initiation of a new chapter for both her career and Southwest Airlines. In her role, she will report directly to Watterson until the company successfully recruits a senior vice president and chief revenue officer. This new executive will not only oversee Furlong’s actions but will also lead the revenue management and pricing departments—areas critical to the overall success of Southwest’s new customer-centric offerings.
As Southwest Airlines readies itself for this pivotal transformation, the hiring of Aileen Furlong signals both a strategic focus on enhancing sales outreach and an acknowledgment of the increasingly competitive dynamics within the airline industry. Combining her extensive experience with a fresh vision for the future, Furlong will play an essential role in shaping the next steps for Southwest Business, ultimately aiming to solidify the airline’s presence as a leader in both leisure travel and corporate flight services.
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