American Airlines Chairman and Chief Executive Gerard Arpey was nominated Chairman of the Governing Board of oneworld, the leading quality global airline alliance, in succession to Qantas Chief Executive Officer Geoff Dixon, who has held the post for two years. Gerard Arpey will act as “first among equals” of the chief executives of the grouping’s member airlines, leading oneworld as the alliance marks the tenth anniversary of its launch, in February 2009, and as Mexicana joins the grouping as its newest member, along with its affiliate Click Mexicana, later in the year.
Geoff Dixon, who retires as Qantas CEO at the end of next week, led oneworld through the alliance’s biggest expansion in its history, with the addition in 2007 of Japan Airlines, Malev Hungarian Airlines and Royal Jordanian and, as affiliates, four other airlines in the Japan Airlines group, plus Dragonair, LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador, and with Mexicana signed to join in 2009.
