BA - Alex Cruz - OUT, Sean Doyle - In.

[Auxtank]

British Airways has announced it is replacing its chief executive Alex Cruz as the airline navigates "the worst crisis" facing its industry.

Mr Cruz, who has been with BA since 2016, will be replaced by Aer Lingus boss Sean Doyle.

Mr Cruz will stay on as non-executive chairman for a transition period before Mr Doyle also takes on the role.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54505840

[ETOPS]

Not certain "your man" will be any different.

https://www.thesun.ie/news/5948394/aer-lingus-boss-sean-doyle-blasted-brid-smith-treatment-workers-poverty/

[waffler]

I’ve met him and he seemed like a decent guy who listens.
He has already spent 20 years in BA so he should be reasonably up to date.
Hopefully he’s the ‘ good cop ‘.

[Auxtank]

Yes, he's BA aware having been there a while. Hopefully, a different plan.

[PC767]

Taking the Cruz (Walsh) proposal and looking at the reality of changes, still not good but along way from the wish list, I’d wager Cruz has been seen as weak. As seen above, Doyle is no puppy. I’m not certain he is the good cop, probably in place to claw back the potential savings Cruz capitulated.

[compressor stall]

I’ve no dealing with either but you don’t get appointed to those positions - especially in such a time of crisis - by being a good cop.

[TartinTon]

He's got the smarmy look of a typical BA ladder climber...watch your back

[speed13ird]

I guess AC had completed the (planned) cost cutting and a new face is now needed to take things forward

[Timmy Tomkins]

He's got the smarmy look of a typical BA ladder climber...watch your back

Probabbly good advice. However, Cruz brought Vueling to its knees due to his, "efficiency drive," before being promoted to BA ( a typical and oft repeated mistake BA has made for years - Gareth Kirkwood for example) so maybe if this guy at least understands that simply cutting cost is not the only answer then there may be some glimmer of hope

[Atlantic Explorer]

Don’t kid yourself! Nobody gets anywhere in business by being “nice”. There’s some tough decisions to be made on the road ahead to recovery, the company is losing a shed load of money every single day with no end in sight, things are not good.

[zed3]

So AC is no longer in charge. This morning my vouchers for our cancelled July flights were changed to e-vouchers and I now know the value of the refund, which until this morning I didn't! Coincidence? That's positive anyway.

[Mick Stability]

The thing I most hated about the man, was that I want role models that my kids can take inspiration from.

I want them to see visionary leaders who can take a premium brand to the next level. What they got to see was an imbecile, who had no grasp of his brief, no competence, no leadership, no humility, no contrition, no admission of his misdeeds, no people skills, a brash vulgar delivery, and a man who couldn't even get the name of his company right (British Airlines - ffs). A man who destroyed the good reputation of a business that had been crafted over 100years. A man who had our business class customers pay £'00's for a squashed up plastic seat and a bag of crisps. A man who 'densified' our seats so that our customers were crammed in like sheep to the slaughterhouse. The bitter irony of it all, is that we'd have been in a far better position to promote a socially distanced premium product if he'd simply done nothing!

And yet he was paid millions, and was invulnerable to boot!! What does that say about corporate hegemony? What representation of decent values, high morals, and empathy for one's fellow man?

Despicable. Staggering that he even got the job in the first place. His legacy is having left his charge in ruins. A zero before a number. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

If Mr Doyle stays at home in the Emerald Isle and darkens not the door of Waterside, he'll achieve more than this dreadful executive creature ever did.

[kungfu panda]

I think that you guys are still living in denial. BA will survive but only because the British government will have to bail out the longhaul after bankruptcy. It's over for the short haul as BA, I imagine that will be merged into WIZZ.

[SID PLATE]

Seems you're not a fan then Mick ?

Dig up and resurrect Lord King of Wartnaby and Baron Colin Marshall of Knightsbridge.They had a better idea of the history and tradition, apart from being persuaded by some marketing bloke with pink socks to adopt ethnic flag tail fins. Someone had the good sense to stick with the only decent one, the Chatham Dockyard Union Flag.

[MichaelKPIT]

That was Robert Fayling! (Who brought in the ethnic tails, that is.)

[Bergerie1]

Aaaah! Once we had a King, then we had a Marshall, and then we were failing.

[FlipFlapFlop]

Probably the main talking point should be the new IAG appointment of a “Chief Transformation Officer” especially considering the appointee has apparently “excelled at both Iberia and Level”. Level, that would be the global hugely profitable brand from Madrid. BA Light maybe?

Sunday is usually my sarcasm day but it has spread to Monday’s as well.

Oh, and KungFu Panda. Boring.

[Boeing 7E7]

https://youtu.be/lmyZMtPVodo

such a good ted talk on leadership and explains so much of what we presently experience. Well worth 10 minutes.

[Jack D]

I have seen this before , such an embarrassing title ! As for Colin M .. not up to any senior position , sorry ! The new boy is the same woefully under qualified ,

Why do Airlines in the UK attract and indeed employ such mediocre senior management ?

Any suggestions welcome ?

[Boeing 7E7]

that’s the point. It’s not just airlines. It’s businesses everywhere.

[Plastic787]

Oh, and KungFu Panda. Boring.

At this point I’ve seen enough of his ramblings to know that he is no soothsayer.

[TLoraine]

Sean Doyle is the son of a policeman and grew up in Youghal, County Cork. He was 'Network, fleet and alliances director' at BA before he left for Aer Lingus. He originally joined BA back in 1998.
Did Luis Gallego give him the job or did the BA board appoint him?

[OnceaRAFer]

As I once, somewhat embarrassingly, said to my then current manager about another manager...."Is he a manager or does he have a skill"

People managers have all but disappeared. Today's managers are those that do little but politic, say yes and operate on the policy of "F*** the quality, feel the width" (ie produce endless slides with no point but looks like they have been working hard). End result is useless managers who have no idea of the job, no idea of what the people doing the job need and no idea that their customers wonder why companies cannot deliver what is supposed to be their core competence.

When I was in the RAF on basic training, my Senior Officer would go to the NCO's and asked if they follow me (or other trainee's). If they said no then that was basically it. Who wants an Officer that can't lead.

So, horray for the end of Cruz, Walsh etc They may think they have done a good job but it could have been double or triple the outcome if they had taken the staff with them.

[ILS27LEFT]

I have been a Senior Manager for many years and I can confirm the above, unfortunately Project Management theories (originating mainly from the US) are based on constant improvement methodologies which is translated in indefinite cost cutting, e.g. Lean 6 Sigma methodologies end up in improving efficiency through aggressive cost cutting in an indefinite way. Obviously this is suicidal, working conditions have seriously deteriorated in the last couple of decades, across all sectors not just aviation. It is a scary trend. Happiness and work satisfaction is ignored thus creating a society of overworked and overstressed employees with huge negative repercussions on public expenditure like NHS work stress related conditions. We are basically ruining our lives. The endless slides have taken over, common sense is gone. COVID19 is proving how incompetent decision makers are without a scripted slide to follow. People Managers are the most precious element of any successful organization, we should put people well-being & environment before profit (as it used to be) however the present system does not allow it. Cost cutting & profit is the top priority even if this means ending up with a very unhappy and slaved workforce, most multination companies are not interested in People Managers at all. Very sad indeed.

[kungfu panda]

At this point I’ve seen enough of his ramblings to know that he is no soothsayer.

Sorry but I'm just stating the obvious. I said back in June when the share price was £2.30 that the next stop was 90p. I was right. Now the next stop is 45p. The value of the company is currently defined by it's cash. That cash is burning fast. This is a Norwegian Air situation.

[ara01jbb]

The longer I have been working in large organisations the more I come to subscribe to the Peter Principle. It observes that people in a hierarchical organisation tend to rise to their "level of incompetence": I.e. employees are promoted based on success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent. Then they tend stay there, much to everyone’s displeasure.

[Trinity 09L]

If anyone mentions the word “Transformation” then sell straight away.

[TURIN]

ILS27LEFT

Spot on. Where is the 'like' button when you need one.

My current manager is the best man-manager I have come across in forty years.

Last of a dieing breed .

[TURIN]

kungfu panda

If the USA doesn't open up soon, I have to agree with you.

Also, considering the relative size of the different componants of IAG. BA's fleet is about half of the total group. Rough guess based on that is that BA's value would be about 50p/share based on the current group value. I don't remember BA shares dropping that low before, even after 9-11.
Sad times.

[Walnut]

It is difficult to see a future for the airline with so little revenue around. However the U.K. will need an airline to fly it’s flag after Brexit
So several possibilities I would suggest. Firstly the US could open up with sensible policies after the defeat of Trump
Secondly IAG will implode with Air Lingus & BA going one way & Iberia and Vueling the other. Hence the appointment of the new Irish Chief Executive

[arem]

Did I not read recently that Branson was raising some 400million ( Dollars or pounds I can’t recall ) - I wonder what for

[rotorwills]

One has to try and be realistic here, the USA is not going to open up anytime soon. This virus has not run its course and the likelihood of a vaccine soon is again unrealistic. At the very best we may get near a vaccine sometime next year.
It looks like there are much more serious cuts on the horizon for all.

[DaveReidUK]

Doyle is due to make a keynote speech at next week's Airlines 2050 event, being streamed live for free on Monday morning.

He's due on at 10:10 BST, followed by Grant Shapps.

https://flightglobalevents.com/airlines20502020/en/page/agenda

[etudiant]

Airline people are disproportionately individuals in love with flying.
Gordon Bethune proved that even a totally dispirited and near bankrupt airline can be revived astonishingly quickly by an experienced and dedicated manager who shares that mindset.
Yet Airline Boards have steadfastly avoided learning from his example.

[polax52]

Walnut


IAG will disintegrate of course because they'll be bankrupt. The governments in all cases except maybe Vueling and Level will pick up the pieces. Maybe Vueling can survive in it's own right. I'd be interested to know if the survival of Vueling was likely?

[Tartiflette Fan]

Do you mean " is likely " ? If so, who the hell knows .

[king surf]

Interesting he is no longer CEO as BA is fined a record £20 million for data breach. It was on your watch Mr Cruz who no doubt will eventually leave with a large bonus while other staff are made redundant.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54568784

[Ben_S]

A record time that's 8 times smaller than originally proposed. Could argue he's done well there.

[king surf]

280 redundant pilots at 50k each is only £14 million!?

[Freehills]

ILS27LEFT

Yep - you have the worlds most successful companies basically only being interested in hiring workoholics - or turning people into them. Alibaba ‘996’ culture (you must work from 9 to 9, 6 days a week, or you are a slacker). Amazon, Apple the same.

[Count von Altibar]

Chopping the bottom 270 odd pilots will have saved virtually naff all and things ain't picking up at all especially where BA traditionally makes money on the long haul. The new CEO will without doubt be looking at more cash preserving measures this winter, tin hats on time and get ready to ride the round 2 rollercoaster.