The boards of directors of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air have announced two leadership additions, promoting two industry veterans into significant roles at each airline. Alaska Airlines has promoted Shane Jones, a 20-year industry veteran, to Senior Vice President of Fleet, Revenue Products and Real Estate. Jones, who joined Alaska in 2018 as Vice President of Real Estate and Development, has managed the airline’s strategy and US$3 billion investments in hub airports, focusing on enabling growth, enhancing the guest experience at airports, and ensuring safe, reliable and efficient operations.
Additionally, he leads the business strategy for growing ancillary revenues and guest choices through new revenue products and business partnerships. In this expanded role, Jones will also lead the development and planning of mainline and regional aircraft and overall fleet strategy, including collaborating with aircraft manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers, and lessors on safety and quality assurance, opportunities to improve sustainability through aircraft design and management, and optimising delivery schedules and financing.
Horizon Air has named Nathan Engel, a 36-year industry veteran, as Vice President of Maintenance and Engineering, overseeing a critically important function of the airline’s focus on safety and reliability. In this role, he will manage the long-term strategy and financial performance of Horizon’s Maintenance and Engineering workgroup, leading a team of over 300 industry professionals who are deeply committed to the airline’s culture of safety. His responsibilities include line maintenance operations, airframe/component/engine maintenance, quality assurance, maintenance planning, engineering and reliability, fleet projects and stores and distribution.
Engel steps into this role from a multi-decade career in maintenance and engineering leadership, with extensive experience at Alaska and Horizon, as well as broader experience from other companies.