Northwest Airlines today announced a reorganization of its marketing and sales function in order to better reflect the airline’s renewed commitment to developing travel products that best serve the needs of its business and leisure customers.
Thomas J. Bach, vice president-market planning and Airlink, has been named to the new position of vice president-network planning & revenue management.

Bach will be responsible for the airline’s worldwide route planning and scheduling for Northwest and Northwest Airlink. In addition, he will be responsible for the revenue management group including North American pricing, revenue analysis and yield management optimization. In this role, he will lead the development and implementation of pricing strategies, automated systems and marketing programs to maximize the revenue contribution of the airline’s North American route network including Northwest Airlink.

Jim Cron, vice president-domestic pricing and yield management, has been named vice president-passenger marketing and sales. In addition, he has been named chief executive officer of MLT Vacations, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northwest.

Cron will now be responsible for the company’s passenger and airline partner marketing, marketing and loyalty programs and sales organizations. At MLT, Cron will be responsible for marketing Northwest’s WorldVacations products, as well as other leisure travel packages sold under the Worry-Free Vacations brand. Crystal Knotek, vice president-reservations sales and services, has been named vice president-reservations and customer care.

Knotek continues to be responsible for the management of the airline’s five domestic call centers. In addition, she will now lead Northwest’s customer care organization that works with the airline’s customers to understand their needs and address any of their concerns. Bach, Cron and Knotek will continue to report to Tim Griffin, executive vice president-marketing and distribution.

“This consolidation of our marketing and sales activities under the leadership of three long-serving Northwest executives is a testament to their talent and their understanding of the changing marketplace,” Griffin said. “Tom, Jim and Crystal have very strong teams to support them as they work to ensure that we continue to provide our customers with a strong route network that offers a convenient schedule and competitive prices.”
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