UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT
TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
January 12, 2018
(Date of earliest event reported)
ALASKA AIR GROUP, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Delaware
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)
1-8957 | 91-1292054 | |
(Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) | |
19300 International Boulevard, Seattle, Washington | 98188 | |
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) | |
(206) 392-5040
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR 230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR 240.12b-2).
o Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o
ITEM 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
On January 9, 2018, the Board of Directors of Horizon Air Industries, Inc. (“Horizon Air”) elected Gary L. Beck as President and CEO of Horizon Air, effective January 15, 2018, replacing Bradley D. Tilden who had filled the role temporarily following the resignation of David L. Campbell. Mr. Beck previously served as Vice President, Flight Operations at Alaska Airlines, Inc. until retiring in June 2015. Since then, he has provided consulting services to Alaska Airlines, Inc. in connection with the integration to a single operating certificate with Virgin America Inc.
Mr. Beck’s compensation remains subject to the approval of the Compensation and Leadership Development Committee of the Alaska Air Group, Inc. Board of Directors and will be disclosed by an amendment to this Form 8-K upon such approval.
ITEM 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.
On January 10, 2018, the Company issued a press release announcing the election of Gary Beck as the president and chief executive officer of Horizon Air. The press release is furnished herein as Exhibit 99.1.
ITEM 9.01 Financial Statements and Other Exhibits
Press Release dated January 10, 2018 | ||
Signatures
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
ALASKA AIR GROUP, INC.
Registrant
Date: January 12, 2018
/s/ Kyle B. Levine
Kyle B. Levine
Vice President Legal, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Jan. 10, 2018
Contact:
Media Relations
(206) 304-0008
newsroom@alaskaair.com
Horizon Air names Gary Beck President and Chief Executive Officer, and
Constance von Muehlen Chief Operating Officer
SEATTLE — Alaska Air Group today announced that Gary Beck will be Horizon Air’s new president
and chief executive officer, and Constance von Muehlen will be its chief operating officer.
Beck is not a newcomer to Alaska Air Group, having served Alaska Airlines from 2008 to June 2015
as vice president of flight operations. “Gary earned the trust of his team and built a strong culture,
implemented sound operational processes and invested wisely in technology, all to make Alaska’s
Flight Operations organization one of the leading in the world,” said Brad Tilden, chairman and CEO
of Alaska Air Group. “He is a seasoned leader with a tremendous amount of fire in his belly, and I
believe our Horizon Air colleagues will really enjoy working with him as he leads Horizon into the
next era.”
Von Muehlen is a former U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot and seven-year veteran of Alaska
Airlines Maintenance and Engineering division. “Constance is an extremely strong leader,” said
Tilden. “Her safety acumen, professionalism, and focus on results is proven, but in addition to that
she is a people person, known for building strong teams and inspiring others. She, along with Gary,
will nurture and strengthen the Horizon culture and improve processes to position Horizon as a
strong competitor.”
In his role at Alaska, Beck oversaw 1,600 pilots in Alaska, California and Washington and was
responsible for ensuring a safe, reliable and compliant flight operation. In addition, he introduced the
airline’s Greener Skies initiative, and ushered in technology game-changers such as pilot iPads and
a paperless flight deck. After retiring from Alaska, Beck continued to serve as the airline’s delegate
on the NextGen Advisory Committee Sub Committee (NACSC), where he testified before the U.S.
Senate on the airline’s behalf. Since May 2016, he has led a joint Alaska Airlines/Virgin America
integration team working towards obtaining a Single Operating Certificate.
He holds a certificate in negotiations from Harvard Law School, an executive management certificate
from UCLA's Anderson School of Management and studied aerospace engineering at Central Texas
College and business administration at Northern Illinois University He is a qualified pilot on multiple
aircraft with over 15,000 flight hours.
Von Muehlen was most recently managing director of airframe, engine and component maintenance
repair and overhaul. Before that, she served as director of engine maintenance. During the last year,
she led the integration of Virgin America’s and Alaska’s maintenance operations. Prior to Alaska, von
Muehlen spent 20 years in aviation maintenance leadership at Pratt and Whitney and at Air Canada.
She received her initial leadership training as a captain in U.S. Army Aviation serving tours of duty in
Germany, Iraq, Turkey and Korea between 1990 and 1996.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University, a certificate in Executive Leadership
Training from Darden School at the University of Virginia and is a Six Sigma-certified black belt and
master black belt in process improvement. She is completing an executive MBA at the Foster School
of Business, University of Washington this spring.
“There are a lot of positive things happening at Horizon Air, including the introduction of new E-175
jets, a new pilot training and career development program, and very good operational performance in
the last few months, said Tilden. “The addition of Gary and Constance will do nothing but strengthen
Horizon in the years ahead.”
Alaska Airlines, together with Virgin America and its regional partners, flies 40 million guests a year
to more than 115 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to
Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba. With Alaska and Alaska Global Partners, guests can earn
and redeem miles on flights to more than 900 destinations worldwide. Alaska Airlines ranked
“Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America” in the J.D. Power
North America Satisfaction Study for 10 consecutive years from 2008 to 2017. Learn more about
Alaska’s award-winning service at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines,
Virgin America and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).
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