Hauenstein’s appointment to WestJet’s nine-member board of directors signals deeper ties with minority stakeholder Delta Air Lines.
Canadian airline company WestJet Group has added recently retired Delta Air Lines president Glen Hauenstein to its board of directors.
The high-profile addition to WestJet’s board follows last year’s appointment of Korean Air chief executive Walter Cho.
Chris Burley, WestJet’s board chairman, says that the additions of Cho and Hauenstein bring “valuable industry perspective to the board and will strengthen the long-term growth plan of the WestJet Group”.
Meanwhile, WestJet board member Christoph Mueller will step down from his position on 30 June, concluding a six-year stint on the panel.
Hauenstein is broadly recognised as the chief architect of Delta’s two-decade run as the most dominant airline in North America and developing its premium revenue model, with an emphasis on consumer loyalty and high-end international travel. He retired from his position with the Atlanta-headquartered carrier on 28 February, while serving in an advisory role through year-end.
His appointment furthers ties between WestJet and Delta, which has long partnered on transborder travel between Canada and the USA.
Delta holds a nearly 13% equity stake in WestJet, while Korean holds a 10% share of the Calgary-based company.
“I am proud to join the WestJet Group board as the airline continues to drive innovation and strengthen strategic partnerships, all with a continued commitment on delivering reliable air travel and long-term growth,” Hauenstein says.
WestJet and Delta had at one point explored establishing a joint venture but withdrew the application in November 2020 due to antitrust conditions imposed by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) that the airlines called “arbitrary and capricious”.
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