GBTA Announces Lineup For 5th Annual 'Airline CEO' Panel At 2012 Convention In Boston

ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the business travel industry, today announced the speakers for the fifth annual 'Airline CEO' panel featuring market leaders, David Barger, President & CEO JetBlue Airways Corporation, Bjorn Kjos CEO of Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, and Keith Williams, CEO of British Airways. The panel on July 23rd during the 2012 GBTA Convention in Boston, made possible by the Boeing Company, will be moderated by Peter Greenberg, Travel Editor, CBS News.  

Returning to the GBTA Convention for the fifth year in a row, the esteemed Airline CEO panelists will engage in a dialogue about the future of the airline industry. They will share privileged insights into how continued consolidation, evolving distribution models, and global alliances will change the competitive airline landscape.

"This panel is always a highlight of Convention and provides attendees with an exclusive look into the thinking of some of the market's leaders and what they see as the future of the airline industry," said Michael W. McCormick, Executive Director and COO of GBTA. "The global perspective of the panelists will certainly get people talking."

David Barger is the President & CEO JetBlue Airways Corporation, which he founded in 1998. David oversaw the company's successful transition to a new reservations system in 2010 and growth in 2011 to become the largest airline in Boston, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. He is a member of the Board of Governors and Treasurer of the Flight Safety Foundation, an independent, nonprofit, international organization which works to improve aviation safety through research, publishing and advocacy. He also serves as President Emeritus of The Wings Club, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing aviation through discussion, education and community activities.

Bjorn Kjos is the CEO of the successful airline Norwegian Air Shuttle, Europe's third largest low cost carrier. After two years of pilot training in Mississippi and Arizona in the United States he became a fighter pilot in the 334 squadron of the Norwegian Royal Air Force, guarding the Norwegian airspace against Soviet intruders between 1969 and 1975. After leaving the air force, Bjorn practiced law for 20 years. In 1993 he became one of the founding partners and the Chairman of Norwegian Air Shuttle. Bjorn is a sought-after speaker on entrepreneurship and executive leadership. In 2009, he won Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year in Norway.

Keith Williams became CEO of British Airways in January 2011, following the merger with Iberia. He also sits on the management board of the two airlines' parent company, International Airlines Group. As CFO of British Airways over the previous six years, he played a leading part in the airline's achievement of a record operating margin in 2007, before steering it through the worst recession in its history and masterminding a solution to its long-standing pensions deficit. Previously, as British Airways' group treasurer and head of tax, he was heavily involved in restructuring the airline's finances after the aviation slump following the attacks of 9/11. He is also a non-executive board member for Transport for London.

Peter Greenberg is the Travel Editor for CBS News and appears on CBS This Morning, CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley and other broadcast platforms. An expert in aviation and security, he is America's most recognized, honored, and respected front-line travel news journalist. Peter is the author of bestselling books including, Don't Go There! And The Complete Travel Detective Bible. An Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter and producer, Greenberg is the consummate insider when it comes to reporting the travel business as news. Travel Weekly named him one of the most influential people in the travel industry.  

About the Global Business Travel Association Convention
The GBTA Convention, with more than 6,000 attendees, is the largest, most comprehensive annual gathering of business travel and meetings managers, meeting planners, procurement professionals and suppliers anywhere in the world. The Business Travel Event of the Year® features: more than 65 industry-leading education sessions organized into 15+ specialized tracks geared to specific levels of experience and a variety of disciplines; a 400+ company Exposition showcasing market choices not available at other industry gatherings; sessions featuring world-renowned speakers and industry leaders; a wide selection of professional development opportunities; and, much more. For more information on the GBTA Convention, visit gbta.org/convention.

About the Global Business Travel Association
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) is the world's premier business travel and meetings organization.  Collectively, GBTA's 5,000-plus members manage over $340 billion of global business travel and meetings expenditures annually.  GBTA provides its network of 17,000 business and government travel and meetings managers, as well as travel service providers, with networking events, news, education & professional development, research, and advocacy. For more information, visit gbta.org

SOURCE Global Business Travel Association