Delta Air Lines has announced the retirement of Bill Lentsch, who contributed to the carrier’s response to the pandemic with new policies, and named its new chief customer officer, Alison Ausband, who was previously the company’s senior vice president of in-flight service.
Lentsch worked for Delta for over 30 years. He oversaw in-flight service, customer service, and the company’s new “Global Cleanliness” division.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a memo to employees on Thursday that “Bill had a major impact across the company, building and leading the teams that have taken Delta to the next level of operational excellence, customer satisfaction and health and safety.”
Ausband, the new CCO, started to work at Delta in 1985 as a flight attendant and then was promoted to a management position. Before being a VP of in-flight service, she led reservations for the airline.
“Allison is well-suited for the role with deep experience at Delta and a strong background in customer service,” Bastian said.
John Laughter, who served as senior vice president and the chief of Operations, also gets promoted to executive vice president. Ausband and he will join the company’s leadership committee and work with Bastian.
