From CSA to VP: Celley Buchanan elected vice president of airport operations and customer service at Alaska Airlines
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Alaska Airlines’ board of directors has elected Celley Buchanan vice president of airport operations and customer service. In this role she is responsible for all aspects of the airline’s airport operations across its broad network, excluding Seattle.
Buchanan is a 23-year veteran of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. She started her career as a customer service agent in Los Angeles (LAX) and served there for 13 years, progressing into leadership of all aspects of Alaska’s operation, including serving as LAX general manager.
She then moved to Horizon Air as director of ground operations for two years, before moving back to Alaska as director of operations support services. She has been in her current role, managing director of airport operations support for Alaska since 2020, where she set the long term strategy for ground support equipment, business partner performance, cabin cleaning, deicing and divisional safety, among other programs.
Buchanan’s leadership helped to establish the airline’s Next-Level Care program at the start of the pandemic, which introduced more than 100 safety policies and procedures designed to ensure the safety of our guests and employees.
Celley is a people leader with a deep understanding of our operation and what makes us tick,” said Wayne Newton, senior vice president of airport operations and customer service at Alaska Airlines and chairman of McGee Air Services board of directors. “Her tenacity and skill working across the organization will raise our airports teams to even higher levels of performance, safety and empowerment.”
Buchanan is a graduate of the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business Executive MBA program. Connect with her on LinkedIn.