Summary
- United Airlines hires Noel O’Connell, a former American Airlines executive, for a senior role in the sales department.
- O’Connell brings over 15 years of experience with American Airlines.
- At United, O’Connell will report to the SVP of worldwide sales Doreen Burse.
When it comes to hiring senior-level executives, airlines want someone with significant industry experience to shoulder big responsibilities. United Airlines recently hired Noel O’Connell, a former American Airlines sales executive, to handle one of its divisions and strengthen its sales strategy.
United hires Noel O’Connell
Noel O’Connell, who previously worked for American Airlines for more than 15 years, has now joined
United Airlines
as managing director of its central and Canadian division, as reported by Business Travel News (BTN).
The report says that O’Connell has started work at United and has SVP of worldwide sales Doreen Burse as his reporting manager. United shared an email with BTN in which Burse told employees that apart from “setting and leading our Central and Canadian field sales strategy,” O’Connell will also “assume strategic leadership for our Inside Sales North and Business Development Divisions.”
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Burse added that O’Connell will eventually move to Chicago from Dallas and that he “has extensive experience in the implementation of sales strategies, transforming products & services, negotiating complex agreements, & empowering his team to deliver exceptional customer service support.”
15 years at American Airlines
O’Connell had a long stint at
American Airlinesthat came to an end in November 2023. He is originally from the United Kingdom and moved to the US to grow his career at American Airlines.
Over the years, he held various roles at the company, including manager for premium services, manager for alliance sales, and regional sales manager, among others. Most recently, he was the Managing Director of Sales Operations and Development.
Photo: Balta Mihaita Sorin | Shutterstock
In February 2023, American Airlines made some changes to its sales department in support of a new business environment resulting from an “increasing number” of customers who wished to interact directly with the carrier. It was then that O’Connell’s designation was changed from Managing Director of sales strategy to that of sales operations and development.
Other United Airlines news
There have been several other developments at United recently, particularly related to its network. In the next few months, United will tweak its schedule out of Washington, D.C., including increasing flights to Nigeria, by offering a daily service to Lagos this winter.
It will also boost flight frequencies from Washington Dulles to a number of domestic destinations in the winter season, such as Greenville/Spartanburg (GSP) in South Carolina and Piedmont-Triad International Airport (GSO) in North Carolina.
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The airline recently
added special flights for fans during college football season
to offer convenient travel options. These flights are for several games, including the University of Texas-Austin at the University of Michigan on September 7 and the University of Alabama at Louisiana State University on November 9, among others. The airline will also fly widebody jets to some of the popular games this season.
United will, however, not fly to Israel any time soon as it suspended its Tel Aviv flights from Newark indefinitely for security reasons due to the conflict in the region. The airline flew daily between the two airports and continues to monitor the geopolitical situation closely.
