Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 12
Q&A
Gil West
Senior Executive
Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer,
Delta Air Lines
Jetrader recently spoke with Delta Air Lines Senior Executive Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer Gil West to discuss a host of issues, including the carrier's diverse
network, the health of the industry and the ways that technology will shape the industry
in the years to come.
Jetrader: For starters, can you give us
a little bit of your professional background? What brought you into the
aviation industry?
Gil West: I grew up in my dad's auto parts
store and generally fell in love with everything mechanical. And at the same time, a
family friend had a Cessna 150, so I learned
to fly at a really early age. Ultimately, I
went on to get a mechanical engineering
degree from North Carolina State and joined
Boeing in 1984 in Seattle in the commercial
aircraft space. Throughout the years, I've
worked for a number of aerospace companies including United Technologies, United
Airlines and Northwest Airlines, and I left a
couple of weeks before 9/11 to take a job as
president and CEO of a few mid-sized turnaround companies in aviation, automotive
manufacturing and ground transportation
segments. I sold those and retired - or
I thought I'd retired - and somebody
twisted my arm to join Delta Air Lines,
and I did so in March of 2008. And today,
I'm COO of Delta, and I'm living the dream.
Jetrader: You've been with Delta for a
decade - during which time the industry has undergone drastic changes. How
have you seen the carrier evolve during
that time?
GW: Delta led consolidation for the
industry with the merger with Northwest
Airlines. And then United and American
followed, so the industry consolidation has
allowed the airlines to move from what was
once a commoditized industry to an industry where the carriers can differentiate
12 The official publication of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading
themselves in the marketplace. In our
case, our basic strategy is to run the most
reliable airline in the world and overlay
a superior customer experience. In turn,
our customers are willing to pay a little
bit more to fly Delta, and that model has
proven successful for us, as well as for
our customers.
Jetrader: Overall, the industry can be
described as remarkably healthy at the
moment, and recent panel discussions at
ISTAT EMEA are in line with that assessment. What's your take on the industry
at present?
GW: I would agree with the optimism. The industry has done well over
the last five years and maybe more. And
it's very well positioned to continue that
Jetrader - Winter 2018
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Jetrader - Winter 2018
Message from the President: Douglas W. Runte, CFA
Calendar/News
Q&A: Gil West, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Delta Air Lines
Sunny Skies and Silver Linings
Aviation Insights Q&A: Ruth Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, Goshawk Aviation
From the ISTAT Photo Archives: ISTAT Holiday Receptions
Aviation History: The British Aircraft Corporation TSR-2
Aircraft Appraisals: Boeing 787-9/Airbus A350-900
From the ISTAT Foundation: Building a Strong Foundation
Advertiser Index
Advertiser.com
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - Intro
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - cover1
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - cover2
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 3
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 4
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - Message from the President: Douglas W. Runte, CFA
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 6
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 7
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 8
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 9
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - Calendar/News
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 11
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - Q&A: Gil West, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Delta Air Lines
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 13
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 14
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 15
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 16
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 17
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - Sunny Skies and Silver Linings
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 19
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 20
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 21
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 22
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 23
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 24
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 25
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 26
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 27
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - Aviation Insights Q&A: Ruth Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, Goshawk Aviation
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 29
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 30
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 31
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - From the ISTAT Photo Archives: ISTAT Holiday Receptions
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 33
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - Aviation History: The British Aircraft Corporation TSR-2
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 35
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 36
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 37
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 38
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - Aircraft Appraisals: Boeing 787-9/Airbus A350-900
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 40
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 41
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 42
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - From the ISTAT Foundation: Building a Strong Foundation
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - 44
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - Advertiser Index
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - Advertiser.com
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - cover3
Jetrader - Winter 2018 - cover4
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