Travel CEO Turnover in 2021 Ushers in New Leaders for Recovery Fight
Photo Credit: Marriott International is contracted with Amadeus to use its central reservation system. Pictured: Marriott Marquis Chicago. Wikimedia / InvadingInvader
Skift Take
A wave of CEO departures swept across the entire travel industry this year. But new names in the top office don't always translate to major changes in how some of these companies will operate going forward.
The churn was on this year for the top job at many travel companies.
Major airlines like Southwest and American, hotel companies like Marriott and Best Western, online travel agencies, and even Amtrak and Royal Caribbean all ushered in or made plans for new CEOs over the span of the year. Some were unexpected leadership shifts while others were years in the making.
The middle of a pandemic might seem like a questionable time for these 11 travel companies to pursue a leadership change. However, something as cataclysmic to the industry as the pandemic would understandably leave many to reassess their careers — as the Great Resignation has proven.
“The demands of the CEO have never been greater. If I was a CEO of a big travel or hospitality business, and I've been thinking about whether I want to do something different or when's a good time to go, maybe people that are having those thoughts brought them forward,” said Ian Brooks, a partn
