US Airways has announced the appointment of two executives, pending board of directors’ approval, who will oversee key parts of the airline’s east coast operation.Suzanne Boda has been named senior vice president, east coast, international and cargo operations and Robert Ciminelli has been named vice president, Philadelphia operation.

Boda, 48, will have responsibilities for the airline’s hub at Philadelphia International Airport, Shuttle operations, international operations and the airline’s cargo business. In this newly created position, she will report directly to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Robert Isom.

Ciminelli, 56, will be responsible for all aspects of the airline’s operations at its Philadelphia hub and will report to Boda. In the newly created position of vice president, Philadelphia hub, Ciminelli will have direct oversight of all of the operating functions. The current airport customer service team in Philadelphia will report directly to Ciminelli. The airline currently operates 420 daily flights and serves 113 destinations from its hub in Philadelphia.

Isom said, “We welcome both of these executives to their new roles and couldn’t be more excited to have Suzanne and Bob join the US Airways’ team. I am confident that both of these individuals will bring unique strengths to our operations team and fill key roles in regions that are essential to our airline’s success.

“Suzanne brings substantial customer service, international and operations experience, all of which will help grow our international and cargo business. She has assumed increasing responsibility over a wide variety of assignments throughout her career and those have prepared her well for the scope of this senior management position. Her operational experience, problem-solving capabilities and results-driven leadership qualities will further build on the firm foundation already in place in our east coast operations.

“Like Suzanne, Bob is also a tremendous addition to our team. His extensive career spans nearly three decades and those experiences have provided a rich training ground for the challenges a complex hub like Philadelphia can present. He has served in nearly every capacity across the airport customer service division and recognizes the significance of a strong partnership between the hub airline and its political and community constituents.”

Background on Suzanne Boda

Boda began her aviation career with Northwest Airlines in 1983 in customer service at Northwest’s Minneapolis hub. Most recently she served as Northwest’s vice president - inflight services. Boda has held several other management positions; most notably vice president - customer service station operations and vice president - customer service of Northwest’s hub in Memphis, Tenn. She holds a bachelor of arts in Asian studies and in Spanish from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn. She plans to relocate to Philadelphia in early 2008.

Boda remarked, “I’m thrilled to take on this new challenge in my career. It’s certainly an exciting time to be joining the dedicated and professional employees of US Airways. I look forward to becoming part of the Philadelphia community and working with airport officials to achieve our shared goal to continue building Philadelphia as a world class air transportation center.”

Background on Robert Ciminelli

Ciminelli’s aviation career spans three decades with American Airlines beginning in 1979 as an airport agent at Los Angeles International Airport. Most recently he was managing director at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport. Prior appointments include managing director, Dallas/Fort Worth and managing director, southeast region. He also served as general manager for American Airlines’ operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Ciminelli has held other airline operations management positions at Nashville, Tenn. and Raleigh, N.C. He attended the University of Buffalo. He and his wife Joanne will relocate to Philadelphia.

Said Ciminelli, “US Airways plays a key role in Philadelphia and I am very excited to build on the positive momentum already in place. Northeast airline operations can prove extremely challenging given the unpredictable weather patterns, high-density markets and other complex elements that drive a hub’s operation. However, we will address these challenges with a focus on improving coordination and communication across all of our operating departments.”

Since merging with America West Airlines in 2005, US Airways has invested more than $20 million in facility upgrades in Philadelphia with several projects to come, including: a new ground equipment maintenance building; a complete redesign of Terminal F with larger hold rooms and a new baggage claim area; a redesigned, more customer friendly ticket counter and an inline baggage sortation system.

Concluded Isom, “The current airport customer service team in Philadelphia will report directly to Bob, and along with today’s appointments, I am pleased to also announce that, after a short transition period, Philadelphia Managing Director Tony Grantham will be taking a new position at our corporate headquarters where he will assist us with airport customer service automation projects as well as contribute to development of new airport customer service policy and procedures. Tony will report to Kerry Hester, vice president, customer service planning.

“I commend Tony for his dedication, diligence and tenacity over the past two years. He has helped put in place a good foundation for us to continue building on. We appreciate his work and look forward to his continued contributions.”
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