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Montréal-Trudeau Airport awarded prestigious 4-Star rating

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Montréal-Trudeau Airport (YUL) has for the first time been awarded a prestigious 4-Star rating under the Skytrax World Airport Star Rating program, joining the ranks of other major world airports. The results obtained from this ranking, considered a benchmark in the global airport industry, stem from an audit conducted last March.

This fourth star recognizes the major investments made in recent years to modernize the airport’s infrastructure and achieve the highest industry standards, as well as employee efforts to enhance the passenger experience day after day.

“In 2018, Aéroports de Montréal challenged itself to obtain a 4-Star Skytrax rating for the YUL site,” said Philippe Rainville, President and CEO of Aéroports de Montréal. “After pushing our limits and raising the bar to improve customer experience, we learned today that the challenge has been successfully met. ADM is extremely proud of the dedication and excellent work done by all employees at the airport and in the airport community.”

In the past year, many initiatives have been put in place to enhance the passenger experience and the fluidity of processes, as well as to optimize terminal maintenance. YUL now has a new team of ambassadors serving passengers, technology-based control and monitoring processes to ensure the cleanliness of facilities, self-service baggage check-in kiosks, and a fifth baggage carousel in the international zone.

The “World Airport Star Rating,” created in 2000, is recognized in the industry as a global benchmark for airport standards. Ratings range from 1 Star to the most prestigious 5-Star rating. Skytrax specializes in ranking international airline organizations and advises airlines and airports around the world on ways to improve the quality of service delivery and facility management.

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IndiGo airline under safety audit by India’s civil aviation regulator

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India’s civil aviation regulator will conduct a special safety audit of the low-cost carrier IndiGo following concerns about the snag-ridden Pratt and Whitney (P&W) engines, which power the airline’s A320 Neo aircraft.

While an annual audit of IndiGo was due in April, a special Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) review will also be done of the airline’s operations and engineering departments.

“We confirm that there is currently a DGCA audit of IndiGo, which is combined with the annual main base audit. IndiGo has received a limited number of show-cause notices. IndiGo has responded accordingly and we can only comment on this matter after we have a discussion with the DGCA,” the airline said in a statement.

An airline source, however, dismissed reports that show-cause notices had been served on two senior officials of the airline.

Indian carriers IndiGo and GoAir have been inducting the P&W engine-powered A320 Neo aircraft since 2016. The former has 72 of these planes and the latter has 30.

Problems in engine

There have been problems in different parts of the engine, including the combustion chamber, knife edge seal, lift-off seal, front hub corrosion and heating of oil near lift-off seal leading to smoke on board a flight, apart from vibration during climb.

The engine-maker maintains that the problems are taking place as the engines are new into operations.

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Airbus names Julie Kitcher EVP Communications and Corporate Affairs

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Airbus has appointed Julie Kitcher as Executive Vice-President Communications and Corporate Affairs, effective immediately. In this role, she joins the Airbus Executive Committee leading all external and internal communication activities, reporting to Guillaume Faury, Airbus Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

In her new role, Julie will steer and co-ordinate the transformation agenda of Airbus and manage Audit, Performance Management, Responsibility and Sustainability and Environmental Affairs, in addition to her position as the Chief of Staff to the CEO.

Previously, Julie was Head of Investor Relations and Financial Communication at Airbus, a role she held since May 2015.

“Julie brings the right mindset, skills and background to lead Airbus’ global communication activities and further strengthen the Company’s brand and reputation worldwide,” said Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO. “As Head of Investor Relations and Financial Communication, she proved her ability to build trust within the financial community and deliver clear and timely information to the markets. In her new role, she will coordinate the Company’s transformation efforts to help shape the story of Airbus as we open the next chapter in our journey.”

In her Head of Communications role, Julie Kitcher will take over from Rainer Ohler, who is leaving Airbus after 24 years in the Company, including more than 13 successful years as Head of Communications.

“I’m excited to be appointed in this new role at such an important moment in the history of Airbus,” said Julie Kitcher. “I feel honoured to have the opportunity to lead a world class Communications and Corporate Affairs team that – within the functions I have been entrusted to lead – will boost the dialogue with employees and stakeholders across the globe as well as help shape and transform the Airbus of the future.”

Julie joined Airbus in December 2000 as a Financial Analyst in Airbus in the UK and has held a number of roles within Finance since. She is a Chartered Management Accountant (CIMA) with an MSc in Accounting, ESC Skema (Lille).

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Marriott International appoints new member to Board of Directors

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The Board of Directors of Marriott International, Inc. said today it has appointed Margaret M. McCarthy, Executive Vice President at CVS Health Corporation, as an independent director of the company, effective March 19, 2019. Ms. McCarthy will also be included in the company’s slate of nominees for election at Marriott’s upcoming 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Ms. McCarthy’s appointment expands the membership of the Board to 14, 11 of whom are independent. She will also serve on the company’s Audit Committee.

“Meg brings a wealth of leadership experience to our Board from her over 30-year career in business and her military service,” said Larry Kellner, Marriott International’s Lead Director. “We were drawn to Meg’s experience with consumer-facing companies undergoing transformational change as well as her knowledge of privacy and cybersecurity. Marriott has a strong and independent Board of Directors that provides critical guidance and advice to management. We are also committed to building a Board that has diverse perspectives and backgrounds reflecting the diversity of our guests, associates and owners. We are confident that Meg will be a valuable addition to the Marriott Board.”

As Executive Vice President at CVS Health, Ms. McCarthy is a leader in the company’s technology transition following its acquisition of Aetna. As previously announced, Ms. McCarthy is slated to depart CVS Health in May. She brings substantial experience in data management and security.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Meg to our Board,” said Arne Sorenson, Marriott International President and Chief Executive Officer. “Her experience and expertise promise to make Meg a terrific addition to the Marriott Board. I look forward to her insights and leadership as we work to build Marriott’s global hospitality brand.”

Ms. McCarthy joined CVS Health through its acquisition of Aetna Inc. in 2018, where she had been Executive Vice President of Operations and Technology since 2010. At Aetna, she also served as the company’s Chief Information Officer and Head of Business Solutions Delivery. Prior to joining Aetna in 2003, she was a senior Information and Technology executive at Cigna Corp., Catholic Health Initiatives and Franciscan Health System, and a Partner at Ernst & Young.

Ms. McCarthy currently serves on the Board of Directors of Brighthouse Financial, Inc. and First American Financial Corporation. She also serves on various advisory boards and councils, including the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, MIT Center for Information Systems Research and the Board of Trustees of Providence College.

Ms. McCarthy holds a bachelor’s degree from Providence College and a master’s degree in public health, hospital administration from Yale University. She served in the U.S. Navy Medical Services Corps as a Lieutenant at Bethesda Naval Hospital and in the U.S. Navy Reserves as a Lieutenant Commander.

Marriott’s Board of Directors engaged Russell Reynolds Associates to assist in identifying and evaluating potential nominees.

With the addition of Ms. McCarthy, the 14 members of Marriott’s Board of Directors are as follows:
•J.W. Marriott, Jr., Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board, Marriott International, Inc.
•Mary K. Bush, President, Bush International, LLC and Former Presidential Appointee as the U.S. Government’s representative on the IMF Board
•Bruce W. Duncan, Chairman of the Board and Former President and Chief Executive Officer, First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. and Former Interim Chief Executive Officer and Director, Starwood Hotels & Resorts
•Deborah Marriott Harrison, Global Officer, Marriott Culture and Business Councils, Marriott International, Inc.
•Frederick A. Henderson, Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, SunCoke Energy, Inc.
•Eric Hippeau, Managing Partner, Lerer Hippeau
•Lawrence W. Kellner, President, Emerald Creek, Group, LLC, Marriott International’s Lead Director
•Debra L. Lee, Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, BET Networks
•Aylwin B. Lewis, Former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Potbelly Corporation
•Margaret M. McCarthy, Executive Vice President, CVS Health Corporation
•George Muñoz, Principal, Muñoz Investment Banking Group, LLC
•Steven S. Reinemund, Former Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo, Inc. and Former Dean of Business, Wake Forest University
•Susan C. Schwab, Professor, University of Maryland and Former U.S. Trade Representative
•Arne M. Sorenson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Marriott International, Inc.

Marriott’s Board will nominate these 14 directors as its recommended slate at the company’s upcoming Annual Meeting.

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Trump appoints former Delta Air Lines executive new FAA chief

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Former chief of flight operations for Delta Air Lines was appointed by President Trump to run the Federal Aviation Administration, currently under scrutiny for allowing the troubled Boeing 737 MAX 8 to carry passengers.

Steve Dickson, who spent 27 years with Delta before retiring in October as senior vice president of flight ops, is joining the agency in the midst of its most turbulent period in recent history, with Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao having requested an audit of its certification of the aircraft, two of which have been involved in horrific crashes over the past five months.

While Dickson’s name had reportedly been under consideration since November, Trump allowed the FAA to go without an official head for over a year following the end of Obama-era agency chief Michael Huerta’s term. Daniel Elwell, who led the FAA under George W. Bush, has been running the agency in an interim capacity without being confirmed by the Senate.

The man from Delta will be the first FAA head in three decades to have come directly to the job from a senior airline position – something of a pattern for Trump, who has recruited a number of cabinet members from the ranks of corporate America to staff the agencies tasked with regulating their former employers. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, who previously worked for Boeing, is just one such appointment.

The FAA is under fire for allowing Boeing to conduct crucial parts of its own safety testing and certification process. A group of current and former engineers from both the regulator and the aircraft manufacturer claims the FAA merely took Boeing’s word that their new plane was safe – an oversight that other countries then allegedly magnified by conducting only minimal testing of their own, assuming the US watchdog wouldn’t have certified an unsafe aircraft. Boeing is also accused of “cutting corners” to quickly certify the plane in order to compete with the new Airbus A320 Neo – between them, Airbus and Boeing comprise the lion’s share of all passenger airliners – and of failing to properly train pilots to work with the onboard systems.

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed earlier this month shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi, killing all 157 people on board after diving unexpectedly into a field. It was the second Boeing 737 Max 8 to meet such a fate in under six months, and investigators have pointed to “clear similarities” between this crash and the Lion Air Flight 610 disaster in October, which killed 189 people.

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