Alaska Airlines Names Chris Glaeser Vice President of Safety

Alaska Airlines today announced the election of Chris Glaeser as vice president of safety.

An aviation professional with more than 30 years of experience in military and commercial environments, Glaeser will oversee all aspects of the company’s safety program in the air and on the ground. He will report directly to Bill Ayer, Alaska Airlines’ chairman and chief executive officer.

"As a pilot and an executive, Chris has demonstrated an overwhelming passion for safety," Ayer said. "The depth of his experience with safety programs and systems in the airline industry and the military make him the perfect choice to join our team. We feel fortunate to have someone of Chris’ caliber."

Glaeser, who starts his new position July 5, will also report to the Safety Committee of Alaska’s board of directors. Alaska is one of the few air carriers in the industry to maintain such a committee on its board. The airline also conducts external audits of its entire safety program at least every two years.

Glaeser joins Alaska from Northwest Airlines, where he has served as director of flight safety, quality assurance and industry affairs since 2003. In this role, he has been responsible for all aspects of flight safety, including overseeing safety reporting and measurement, developing and executing safety assurance programs, managing incident and accident investigations, managing internal and supporting external safety audits, and establishing programs to enhance the airline’s safety culture.

In concert with Alaska Airlines representatives, he has led Northwest’s participation in an industry-leading initiative to share data about safety-related incidents among all U.S. carriers. He also has managed numerous groups tasked with addressing safety matters such as runway collision avoidance and improved inflight emergency coordination between cockpit and cabin crews.

A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy with a bachelor’s degree in engineering science, Glaeser served on active duty in the military until 1988 and in the Air National Guard and Reserves for another 10 years. He was highly decorated as a fighter and test pilot and served as a U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School instructor.

In 1983, he graduated from the British Royal Air Force Empire Test Pilot School. He also earned a master’s degree in management from Troy State University in Alabama.

After joining Northwest in 1988, Glaeser flew Boeing 727s, 747s, DC-10s and Airbus A-320s as a second officer, first officer and captain. He also served as an A-320 check pilot, instructor and special project pilot for eight years. During his military and commercial career, Glaeser has flown some 9,100 hours on more than 200 types of aircraft.

He became assistant to the vice president of flight operations at Northwest in 1997 and assistant to the vice president of safety and regulatory compliance in 2000.

Alaska Airlines and sister carrier, Horizon Air, together serve 88 cities through an expansive network throughout Alaska, the Lower 48, Canada and Mexico. For reservations visit alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air News Room at alaskaair.com.

SOURCE: Alaska Airlines