Oneworld is moving its headquarters from Vancouver to New York after appointing a new chief executive.
The airline alliance said the move will allow it to keep its finger right on the pulse of the world’s single biggest air travel market, with New York’s airports used by 110 million passengers a year.
It means that Oneworld managing partner John McCulloch will not stay with the group.
He has told the Oneworld governing board that for family reasons he is not in a position to relocate.
McCulloch said: “The relocation of our central alliance team to the world’s biggest airline market at this stage in oneworld’s evolution makes clear sense.
“Personal circumstances prevent me from being part of that future, but I am committed to achieving a full and seamless transition, working with Bruce as he beds in, to ensure oneworld continues on its journey towards pre-eminence.”
McCulloch has been with the alliance for 10 years, the last seven as managing partner.
Bruce Ashby has joined the central alliance team as oneworld chief executive.
After 16 years working for US airlines, latterly as senior vice-president alliances and then executive vice-president marketing for US Airways, Ashby then spent the past five years leading carriers in India and the Middle East, as chief executive of IndiGo and then of SAMA Airlines.
Premises for the new oneworld headquarters in New York have been secured at 2 Park Avenue, Manhattan.
They will also house the team managing the new transatlantic joint business launched in October by oneworld partners American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia.
The 46,200 sq ft facility will also accommodate the New York offices of American, British Airways and a number of other oneworld member airlines.
Besides the 25-strong central oneworld team, up to 210 employees from across the alliance’s member airlines will be based there, in a largely “open plan” lay out, designed to promote collaboration across the alliance teams.
The first of them should move in there in mid-summer 2011.
