ISTAT Airlink Advisory Council Welcomes JetBlue President & CEO

CHICAGO, Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ISTAT Airlink is pleased to announce that Dave Barger, President & Chief Executive Officer of JetBlue Airways, has joined its Advisory Council, volunteering his time and expertise to help advance the Airlink program.

"It is an honor to have Dave Barger join our team of select industry leaders that constitutes Airlink's Advisory Council," said Bob Brown, CEO of ISTAT Airlink.  "His industry connections along with his experience with growing a fledgling carrier into a major player in the international aviation industry will be a significant benefit to Airlink as we seek to grow our membership and the worldwide scale of our humanitarian operations."

JetBlue, New York's Hometown Airline™, is known for its award-winning service and free TV as much as its low fares.  Mr. Barger was part of the carrier's founding team in August 1998, serving as President and Chief Operating Officer before being named Chief Executive Officer in May 2007 and assuming the additional role of President in June 2009.

In addition to his responsibilities at JetBlue, Mr. Barger is Chair of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) NextGen Advisory Committee; a member of the Board of Governors and Treasurer of the Flight Safety Foundation; a President Emeritus of The Wings Club; and Chair of the Board of Directors of PENCIL, an education not-for-profit.  He has also served on the Department of Transportation's Future of Aviation Advisory Committee (FAAC).  

JetBlue became a member of Airlink in March 2011 and has engaged its Emergency Response Team in partnership with the organization and its humanitarian mission.  JetBlue is among the more active airline members, having completed 11 missions through the program to date, including providing travel for emergency response teams in September 2012 to assist the residents of Louisiana following Hurricane Isaac.

The ISTAT Airlink Advisory Council consists of senior professionals in the aviation industry who volunteer their time to promote and advance the Airlink program.  Each member is dedicated to facilitating the recruitment of Airlines and providing industry insight and advice. Membership in the Council is by invitation only.  Council members participate in a bi-monthly conference call wherein Airline recruitment strategies are the primary focus. The Council is maintained through the members' shared dedication and desire to assist both Airlines and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) meet humanitarian needs around the world. 

With the addition of Dave Barger, the ISTAT Airlink Advisory Council is now comprised of a total of 13 members.  The other 12 Council members are: Barry Humphreys, Chair of the ISTAT Airlink Advisory Council and former Director, Virgin Atlantic Airways; Robert Brown, CEO of Airlink and Partner, VX Capital Partners; Robert Crandall, former President & CEO of American Airlines; Mark Dunkerley, President & CEO of Hawaiian Airlines; Ken Gazzola, President & CEO of FlightLogix, Inc. and former Executive VP & Group Publisher, Aviation Week; James Hogan, CEO of Etihad Airways; John McMahon, former CEO of Genesis Lease Ltd.; Michael Platt, CEO of Lease Corporation International; Stephen Rimmer,  Chairman & CEO of Guggenheim Aviation Partners and former President of the ISTAT Foundation; Glenn Hickerson, President of Hickerson Associates, former Chairman of SkyWorks Leasing and former President of GATX Air; Klaus Heinemann, Chairman of HH Kapital B.V. and former CEO of AerCap, and John Slattery, Senior Vice President of Embraer. 

Airlink is a humanitarian initiative of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) Foundation.  It is the first-and-only, free, web-based program that connects non-governmental charitable organizations (NGOs) with airlines throughout the world which can supply donated or discounted passenger or cargo transportation.  Since its inception in 2009, Airlink has helped charities source transportation needs for their efforts and has been active during several recent disasters including the Haiti earthquake, Japan tsunami and the earthquake in Turkey.  Currently, Airlink has 18 airline and 51 NGO members, a membership which it seeks to grow. The program depends on volunteers from the aviation community and new volunteers are always welcome. For more information, visit www.airlink-info.org.  Click through to Airlink's Partners and view a current list of our Airline Members and/or our NGO Members.

SOURCE ISTAT Airlink