** Airlink Welcomes David Barger
as its Newest Council Member **
Chicago, IL (September 27, 2012) – ISTAT Airlink is
pleased to announce that David Barger, President & Chief Executive Officer
of JetBlue, has joined its Advisory Council, volunteering his time and
expertise to help advance the Airlink program.
“It is an honor to have David Barger join our team of select industry leaders that constitutes Airlink’s Advisory Council,” said Bob Brown, CEO of ISTAT Airlink. “His industry connections along with his experience with growing a fledgling carrier into a major player in the international aviation industry will be a significant benefit to Airlink as we seek to grow our membership and the worldwide scale of our humanitarian operations.”
David Barger is the President and CEO of JetBlue, New York’s hometown airline™ known for its award-winning service and free TV as much as its low fares. He founded JetBlue in August 1998 as President and Chief Operating Officer, before being named Chief Executive Officer in May 2007 and assuming the additional role of President in June 2009. Prior to his roles at JetBlue, Mr. Barger served in various management positions with Continental Airlines including Vice President, Newark hub. He has also held assorted posts at New York Air, including Director of Stations.
In addition to helming JetBlue, Mr. Barger is Chair of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) NextGen Advisory Committee; a member of the Board of Governors and Treasurer of the Flight Safety Foundation; a President Emeritus of The Wings Club; and Chair of the Board of Directors of PENCIL, an education not-for-profit. He has also served on the Department of Transportation’s Future of Aviation Advisory Committee (FAAC). Most recently, Mr. Barger was honored by the White House as a Transportation Innovator in the “Champions of Change” series for his leadership in the Joint FAA-industry effort to implement the NextGen airspace modernization program. JetBlue is a member of Airlink since March 2011 and is among the more active airline members of Airlink, having completed 11 missions through the program to date.
The ISTAT Airlink Advisory Council consists of senior professionals in the aviation industry who volunteer their time to promote and advance the Airlink program. Each member is dedicated to facilitating the recruitment of Airlines and providing industry insight and advice. Membership in the Council is by invitation only. Council members participate in a bi-monthly conference call wherein Airline recruitment strategies are the primary focus. The Council is maintained through the members’ shared dedication and desire to assist both Airlines and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) meet humanitarian needs around the world.
With the addition of David Barger, the ISTAT Airlink Advisory Council is now comprised of a total of 13 members. The other 12 Council members are: Barry Humphreys, Chair of the ISTAT Airlink Advisory Council and former Director, Virgin Atlantic Airways; Robert Brown, CEO of Airlink and Partner, VX Capital Partners; Robert Crandall, former President & CEO of American Airlines; Mark Dunkerley, President & CEO of Hawaiian Airlines; Ken Gazzola, President & CEO of FlightLogix, Inc. and former Executive VP & Group Publisher, Aviation Week; James Hogan, CEO of Etihad Airways; John McMahon, former CEO of Genesis Lease Ltd.; Michael Platt, CEO of Lease Corporation International; Stephen Rimmer, Chairman & CEO of Guggenheim Aviation Partners and former President of the ISTAT Foundation; Glenn Hickerson, President of Hickerson Associates, former Chairman of SkyWorks Leasing and former President of GATX Air; Klaus Heinemann, Chairman of HH Kapital B.V. and former CEO of AerCap and John Slattery, Senior Vice President of Embraer.
Airlink is a humanitarian initiative of the International
Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) Foundation. It is the
first-and-only, free, web-based program that connects non-governmental
charitable organizations (NGOs) with airlines throughout the world which can
supply donated or discounted passenger or cargo transportation. Since its
inception in 2009, Airlink has helped charities source transportation needs for
their efforts and has been active during several recent disasters including the
Haiti earthquake, Japan tsunami and the earthquake in Turkey. Currently,
Airlink has 18 airline and 51 NGO members, a membership which it seeks to grow.
The program depends on volunteers from the aviation community and new
volunteers are always welcome. For more information, visit www.airlink-info.org. Click through to Airlink’s Partners and view a current list of
our Airline Members and/or our NGO Members.
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