Alaska Air Group Strengthens Leadership Team With New Coo And Horizon Air Ceo Appointments Focused On Safety, Reliability, Innovation, And People-first Culture

Published on September 26, 2025

Alaska Air Group has unveiled a bid of high-profile activity changes that underscore nan company’s committedness to operational excellence, innovation, and its people-first culture. These transitions travel astatine a pivotal infinitesimal for nan hose arsenic it navigates a play of maturation and prepares for strategical initiatives aimed astatine strengthening some mainline and location operations.

After astir 15 years of work astatine Alaska Airlines, Chief Operating Officer Constance von Muehlen announced her retirement. Von Muehlen, who joined nan hose successful 2011 and was named COO successful 2021, has played a captious domiciled successful guiding Alaska Airlines done a transformative period. Under her leadership, nan hose precocious its operational reliability, information standards, and invention initiatives, establishing benchmarks crossed nan industry. Colleagues and peers admit her for combining strategical imagination pinch a dedication to cultivating a collaborative and people-focused workplace.

Taking nan helm arsenic Alaska Airlines’ caller main operating serviceman will beryllium Jason Berry, an manufacture seasoned pinch much than 3 decades of aviation experience. Currently serving arsenic president of Horizon Air and executive vice president of cargo for Alaska Air Group, Berry brings extended operational expertise crossed cargo, crushed services, and location hose management. His profession spans activity positions astatine renowned carriers including Air Canada, Cargolux, and McGee Air Services, giving him a well-rounded position connected some mainline and location operations.

Berry’s assignment arsenic COO will return effect connected November 3, 2025. To guarantee a soft and seamless transition, von Muehlen will stay pinch Alaska Airlines successful an advisory capacity until February 2026, providing guidance and continuity during this activity handover.

Concurrently, Andy Schneider will measurement into nan domiciled of CEO and president of Horizon Air. Schneider has been a cardinal designer of Alaska Airlines’ group strategy and culture, serving astir precocious arsenic elder vice president of people. Her heavy operational acquisition spans much than 35 years pinch Alaska Air Group, including activity roles specified arsenic vice president of inflight and telephone halfway services astatine Alaska Airlines and elder vice president of group and customer services astatine Horizon.

As Horizon Air moves guardant nether Schneider’s leadership, nan attraction will stay connected delivering exceptional location work while supporting nan airline’s broader integration goals wrong Alaska Air Group. Schneider’s proven expertise to equilibrium operational rigor pinch a people-centric attack is expected to guideline Horizon done its adjacent shape of maturation and evolution.

These activity changes hap alongside a important milestone for Alaska Airlines’ web operations. Over nan past year, teams from Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines person collaborated to instrumentality a scheme to run arsenic a azygous mainline bearer nether a azygous operating certificate (SOC) issued by nan Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This transition, anticipated later this fall, will streamline operations, heighten efficiency, and supply passengers pinch a much cohesive recreation acquisition crossed nan airlines’ mixed network.

Alaska Air Group emphasizes that these activity appointments bespeak its ongoing committedness to operational excellence, strategical innovation, and a civilization that prioritizes employees. With Berry and Schneider assuming their caller responsibilities, nan hose is well-positioned to proceed its trajectory of growth, fortify customer experience, and reenforce its opinionated arsenic a starring hose successful North America.

As Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air embark connected this adjacent chapter, nan company’s activity squad intends to build connected a bequest of safety, reliability, and invention while maintaining a beardown attraction connected nan group who make it each possible—from labor to passengers.

“It has been an absolute privilege to lead Alaska’s frontline teams these past 5 years — out of nan pandemic, into an integration and ever putting information and excellence astatine nan forefront,” said von Muehlen. “Every day, I get to spot really Alaska regularly leads nan manufacture successful attraction and performance, and it’s because of nan dedication of thousands of technicians, formation attendants, pilots, customer work agents, dispatchers and everyone successful between. I cognize they will proceed this excellence pinch Jason astatine nan helm.”

“This is an incredibly breathtaking clip astatine Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines. As we move toward nan adjacent integration milestone, a azygous operating certificate, we’re bringing together unthinkable frontline teams who will proceed to lead nan manufacture successful safety, singular customer work and operational excellence,” Berry said. “I americium truthful honored to beryllium taking connected this caller domiciled arsenic we build connected nan awesome instauration Constance and her squad person established and cognize that Horizon is successful awesome hands pinch Andy arsenic CEO and president.”

“I americium truthful humbled and honored to beryllium returning to Horizon aft much than 14 years,” said Schneider. “What makes Horizon typical are nan unthinkable group who activity present and nan important domiciled they play arsenic a lifeline for nan communities we serve. I’m truthful excited for this adjacent section arsenic we build connected nan rich | bequest nan Horizon squad has established.”