Peter Conway Interviews...
Jim McKeon
Asia to Latin America traffic, new specialist products and a customer relationship management system are all part of the strategy, as Jim McKeon, Jack Boisen’s successor, steers Continental Airlines cargo through the downturn
ANY cargo boss who took up their post in the past couple of years has had a baptism of fire in their new role, and Jim McKeon, senior director of cargo at Continental, is no exception.
It might have already been daunting enough stepping into the shoes of Jack Boisen, one of the most prominent figures in the airfreight industry, who retired in July 2008 after 14 years in the job, but McKeon then had to pilot the airline’s cargo business through the worst downturn in living memory.
As it is, Continental has emerged from the past year with a respectable set of cargo figures, following a trajectory common to much of the industry. That includes a sharp fall in traffic in the first half of 2009 – in February freight tonne kilometres were down 25.4 per cent, and then a recovery into positive territory from September onwards.
November saw a year-on-year rise of 16.5 per cent and December 35 per cent, and the carrier ended the year with its cargo...>> MORE