Brad Tilden is a 26-year veteran of Alaska Airlines. He previously served as its president, executive vice president finance, CFO, and corporate controller. Before joining Alaska, Brad spent eight years with accounting firm Price Waterhouse in Seattle and Australia.

Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air and—newest addition—Virgin America, combine to make Alaska the fifth largest airline in the U.S. The airline’s fleet of 279 aircraft take customers to 115 destinations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica.

Brad leads a team of 20,000 employees who provide—hands down—the best customer service in the business. Under his leadership, Alaska is focused on safety and on-time performance, low fares and creating an airline people love. Alaska has received a number of accolades, including:
• Highest in customer satisfaction among traditional carriers in North America, 10 years in a row;
• Leading on-time performance seven years running;
• No. 1 in the Airline Quality Rating of performance and quality for 2016;
• No. 1 spot in the Wall Street Journal's annual Scorecard for four years in a row;
• And, rated among America’s 500 Best Employers by Forbes magazine for three years in a row.

Brad himself was ranked 22nd among the Top 50 Corporate Leaders in America by Fortune magazine. He was also named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Business Travel Executives of 2016 by Business Travel News and was recognized by the Puget Sound Business Journal as its Executive of the Year.

Brad holds a commercial pilot’s license, a bachelor’s degree from Pacific Lutheran University and an MBA from the University of Washington. He currently chairs the board of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Nordstrom board of directors, among other board affiliations.

Please join me in welcoming Alaska Air Group Chairman and CEO Brad Tilden.