Jeff Butler named vice president of Alaska Airlines inflight and call centers

News provided by

Sep 13, 2017, 12:24 ET

SEATTLE, Sept. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Jeff Butler, a 34-year veteran of Alaska Airlines, has been named Alaska's new vice president of inflight and call center services, succeeding Andy Schneider, who was named vice president of people last month.

Butler, who previously led inflight and later airports and customer service at Alaska, has been in an interim role as vice president of guest and inflight services at Virgin America for the past year.

"Jeff is an accomplished and well-respected leader known for doing the right thing, while delivering results and creating a positive work environment," said Ben Minicucci, Virgin America CEO and Alaska Airlines' president and chief operating officer. "We're confident his experience at both Alaska and Virgin America will help us advance our integration and get off to a solid start as we work toward becoming one airline."

Minicucci said in his new role, Butler will lead both the Virgin America and Alaska Airlines flight attendants, as well as the call center teams. Virgin America's guest services division will transition to Wayne Newton, Alaska Airlines' vice president of airport operations and customer service.

Butler joined Alaska Airlines in 1984, holding a range of positions with increasing responsibility, including editorial assistant, sales agent and eventually managing director of inflight operations.

Last year Butler was named a Customer Service Legend, Alaska Airlines' highest honor given to a handful of employees every year who exemplify customer service. Butler holds a bachelor's degree in communications from Washington State University and serves on the Greater Seattle Business Association's Corporate Advisory Board.

Alaska Airlines, together with Virgin America and its regional partners, flies 40 million guests a year to 118 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba. With Alaska and Alaska Global Partners, guests can earn and redeem miles on flights to more than 900 destinations worldwide. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North America Satisfaction Study for 10 consecutive years from 2008 to 2017. Learn more about Alaska's award-winning service and unmatched reliability at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).