Before being named president and chief executive of US Airways and its parent US Airways Group in early March, David Siegel, 41 years old, headed Avis Rental Car Corporation. Earlier he was a key planner for both Continental Airlines and for Northwest Airlines.
Siegel joined Continental in 1993 and moved from planning at the parent airline to running the entire Continental Express regional operation between 1995 and 1999. There he oversaw the introduction of Embraer regional jets and planned the regional jet strategy for Continental's Cleveland and Newark hubs.
Before joining Continental, where chief executive Gordon Bethune called him "one of the best airline guys in the business", Siegel headed corporate planning for Northwest.
Siegel had also worked for the Budget Group car rental firm and for a venture capital firm, eVolution Global Partners.
He began his career as a consultant at Bain & Co, after earning a masters in business administration from Harvard University and an undergraduate degree in applied mathematics from Brown University.
He frequently travels around the US Airways system with his 11-year-old daughter Emily, and says: "The greatest thrill is when I'm with her and people come up and say they know I'm trying to save jobs."
Source: Airline Business
