Robin
Hayes,
CEO
of
JetBlue
Airways,
speaks
to
guests
following
the
airline’s
inaugural
flight
from
John
F.
Kennedy
Airport
in
New
York
to
London
Heathrow
Airport
in
London
on
Aug.
12,
2021.
Chris
J.
Ratcliffe
|
Bloomberg
|
Getty
Images
JetBlue
CEO
Robin
Hayes
will
step
down
next
month,
the
company
said
Monday.
The
airline’s
chief
operating
officer,
Joanna
Geraghty,
will
take
the
helm.
The
departure
comes
as
JetBlue
tries
to
acquire
budget
carrier
Spirit
Airlines,
a
nearly
$4
billion
combination
that
the
New
York-based
carrier
argues
will
help
it
grow
and
better
compete
against
larger
rivals
such
as
Delta
and
United.
The
U.S.
Department
of
Justice
sued
to
block
the
merger
last
year.
A
decision
by
a
federal
judge
in
Boston
is
expected
in
the
coming
weeks
after
a
trial
that
wrapped
up
late
last
year.
Hayes,
a
more
than
three-decade
airline
industry
veteran,
cited
the
high-pressure
nature
of
the
job
in
announcing
his
resignation
via
a
company
statement.
“It’s
bittersweet
to
retire
from
this
airline
I
love,
but
I
will
always
feel
a
part
of
the
JetBlue
team
and
be
rooting
for
its
continued
success,”
Hayes
said.
“However,
the
extraordinary
challenges
and
pressure
of
this
job
have
taken
their
toll,
and
on
the
advice
of
my
doctor
and
after
talking
to
my
wife,
it’s
time
I
put
more
focus
on
my
health
and
well-being.”
Hayes
will
remain
on
the
board
of
directors
until
he
leaves
his
post
on
Feb.
12,
at
which
point
he
will
stay
on
as
a
strategic
advisor
and
Geraghty
will
join
the
board.
Joanna
Geraghty,
president
and
chief
operating
officer
of
JetBlue
Airways,
speaks
during
a
Bloomberg
Television
interview
at
the
World
Aviation
Festival
in
London
on
Sept.
5,
2019.
Chris
Ratcliffe
|
Bloomberg
|
Getty
Images
Geraghty
has
spent
about
two
decades
at
JetBlue,
the
majority
of
the
relatively
young
carrier’s
lifespan.
During
that
time,
the
airline
expanded
internationally
and
launched
a
business
class.
But
JetBlue,
whose
flights
are
concentrated
in
the
heavily
congested
New
York-area
airspace
and
other
busy
patches
of
the
country
such
as
Florida,
has
struggled
in
recent
months.
Geraghty
will
be
tasked
with
righting
the
ship
and,
if
the
DOJ
is
unsuccessful
in
blocking
a
Spirit
tie-up,
overseeing
that
merger
process.
JetBlue
plans
to
convert
Spirit’s
bright
yellow
and
densely
packed
planes
into
its
own
cushier
configurations.
Geraghty
was
named
COO
in
2018
and
headed
parts
of
the
business,
including
its
growing
network
and
its
revenue
management.
Correction:
This
story
has
been
updated
to
correct
that
Robin
Hayes
will
remain
on
JetBlue’s
board
of
directors
until
he
leaves
his
post
as
CEO
on
Feb.
12,
2024.
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