Executive with 15 years of experience at American moves to United Airlines

When it comes to hiring executives, airlines look for someone with extensive industry experience to take on major responsibilities. United Airlines recently hired Noel O’Connell, a former American Airlines sales executive, to lead one of its divisions and strengthen its sales strategy.

United signs Noel O’Connell

Noel O’Connell, who previously worked for American Airlines for more than 15 years, has now moved to United Airlines as managing director of the central and Canadian division, as Business Travel News (BTN) reported.

The report states that O’Connell has started working at United and has SVP of Worldwide Sales Doreen Burse as his reporting manager. United shared with BTN an email in which Burse told employees that in addition to “Defining and managing our sales strategy for Central and Canada,” O’Connell will also “Take over the strategic management of our Inside Sales North and Business Development divisions.”

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Burse added that O’Connell will eventually move from Dallas to Chicago and that he “has extensive experience in executing sales strategies, redesigning products and services, negotiating complex agreements and empowering his team to deliver exceptional customer service support.”

15 years at American Airlines

O’Connell was a long-time member of American Airlines which ended in November 2023. Originally from the UK, he moved to the US to advance his career at American Airlines.

Over the years, he has held various positions within the company, including Manager of Premium Services, Manager of Alliance Sales, Regional Sales Manager and most recently Managing Director of Sales Operations and Development.

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In February 2023, American Airlines made some changes to its sales department to support a new business environment resulting from an “increasing number” of customers who want to interact directly with the airline. At that time, O’Connell’s position was changed from managing director of sales strategy to that of sales operations and development.

More news from United Airlines

United has seen several other developments recently, particularly related to its network. Over the next few months, United will optimize its schedule out of Washington, DC, including increasing the number of flights to Nigeria by offering daily service to Lagos this winter.

In addition, flight frequency from Washington Dulles to numerous domestic destinations will be increased during the winter season, including Greenville/Spartanburg (GSP) in South Carolina and Piedmont-Triad International Airport (GSO) in North Carolina.

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The airline recently Special flights added for fans during college football season to provide convenient travel options. These flights will be for several games, including the University of Texas-Austin at the University of Michigan on September 7 and the University of Alabama at Louisiana State University on November 9. The airline will also use wide-body aircraft for some of the most popular games this season.

However, United will not fly to Israel in the near future as it has suspended its Tel Aviv flights from Newark indefinitely for security reasons due to the conflict in the region. The airline flies daily between the two airports and continues to closely monitor the geopolitical situation.