Dive Brief:
- Randy Sloan, vice president and chief information officer for Southwest Airlines, is leaving the company after five years, according to a company announcement. Sloan previously served as CIO for PepsiCo International. No word yet on where Sloan plans to go next.
- Kathleen Wayton, who is currently the airline's vice president of Corporate Delivery, Operations and Reservations, has been promoted to senior vice president and chief information officer upon Sloan's departure.
- Southwest also announced it hired Stan Alexander as vice president and chief technology architect. The role is a new one for Southwest.
Dive Insight:
Like other airlines, Southwest's operations have been hindered by antiquated technology over the last few years, causing delays and cancellations on various occasions.
But Southwest is looking to change. Late last year, the airline announced plans to spend up to $300 million on new operations technology and $500 million on a new reservation system, according to The Dallas Morning News.
The ultra-competitive airline industry is looking to tech to replace older systems that are failing as well as to create differentiators that can help edge out competitors. Earlier this year, IBM and United Airlines announced they will collaborate to build a new suite of enterprise iOS apps to help United employees improve how they serve customers, while American Airlines just signed a major cloud technology contract with IBM.
