Gallery: 2019 ATW Airline Industry Achievement Awards

ATW Editor-in-Chief Karen Walker (left) and ATW Publisher Beth Wagner (right) join the award winners onstage. From left:  Spirit Airlines CEO Ted Christie (Value Airline of the Year); Airlink Founder & Chairman Bob Brown (Joseph S Murphy Award); Air New Zealand General Manager Global Brand & Content Marketing Jodi Williams  (Passenger Experience Award); Air New Zealand Captain David Morgan (Eco-Airline of the Year); AirBaltic CEO Martin Gauss (Airline Market Leader); Indigo Partners Managing Partner William “Bill” Franke (Excellence in Leadership); Lufthansa Chairman & CEO Carsten Spohr (Airline of the Year); Airbus A220 Head of Sales Philippe Combet and Airbus A220 Program Head of Engineering Rob Dewar (Aviation Technology Achievement); and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport CEO Sean Donohue (Airport of the Year).

ATW Editor-in-Chief Karen Walker presents the 2019 ATW Airline of the Year award to Lufthansa CEO and Chairman Carsten Spohr.

Lufthansa CEO and Chairman Carsten Spohr said, “It has been a difficult ride in the last years. It was not a given that six, seven years ago a European legacy carrier would be on this stage. In the end, with all the additional things going on, the disruptions, we do the core of what we do, bringing people safely from A to B, to their loved ones, to their business meetings. We can all be very proud that this is what we do, and there’s just no substitute for the ability to enable personal contact. And to do that with a huge legacy is something that makes us proud."

Lufthansa CEO and Chairman Carsten Spohr shares a light moment during his speech.

Aviation Daily Editor Mark Nensel presents the 2019 ATW Leadership Excellence Award to Indigo Partners Managing Partner William “Bill” Franke. 

In his acceptance speech, Excellence in Leadership award winner William “Bill” Franke, who is regarded as the creator of the ultra-LCC model, noted that investment in new, highly efficient aircraft was an essential element to operating a successful ULCC.

As chairman of Indigo Partners, Bill Franke leads a private-equity firm with controlling interests in Frontier Airlines and JetSmart, stakes in Volaris and Wizz Air, and a partnership with aspiring Canadian ULCC Enerjet—whose CEOs all attended the gala event. Franke is also behind the largest-ever air transport aircraft order—a 470-narrowbody commitment with Airbus announced in November 2017.

Aviation Editor Mark Nensel presents the Eco-Airline of the Year Award to Air New Zealand Chief Pilot Captain David Morgan.

Air New Zealand Chief Pilot Captain David Morgan said, “We need to work on sustainability in the same way we work on safety if we want to have a viable industry in 10 or 15 years. It’s time for the industry to start working collaboratively and holistically to create better outcomes." 

ATW Managing Editor Jack Wittman presents the Passenger Experience Award to Air New Zealand General Manager Global Brand & Content Marketing Jodi Williams.

Air New Zealand General Manager Global Brand & Content Marketing Jodi Williams received the Passenger Experience Award for the airline's enhanced Skycouch with "cuddlecouch" harnesses for infants. Accepting the award, Williams said, “A huge thank you to our amazing product team that led the development of the economy Skycouch, which came from a really simple insight that families with young children really did not look forward to flying long-haul and long distances, and were quite worried, even more so for the customers around them.

ATW Editor-in-Chief Karen Walker

ATW News and Online Editor Linda Blachly presents the Value Airline of the Year to Spirit Airline CEO Ted Christie.

Spirit Airlines CEO Ted Christie, receiving the Value Airline award, said, “Value is a very important word to us at Spirit. We are committed to delivering the best value in the sky, and this award recognizes our mission to deliver an extraordinary guest experience while maintaining our industry-leading cost advantage.”

The entire Spirit team comes onstage to accept the 2019 Value Airline of the Year award.

ATW European Bureau Chief Victoria Moores presents the Airline Market Leader award to airBaltic CEO Martin Gauss.

AirBaltic CEO Martin Gauss, receiving the Airline Market Leader Award for the second time in a row—the only time this has been achieved by any airline, noted, “I’m really, really proud, and a big ‘thank you’ to my team. And as we did it two times in a row, I want come back next year for the third time.”

Routes Head of Content Wes Charnock presents the Airport of the Year award to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport CEO Sean Donohue, Airport Operations Center Specialist Laura Pearce, Quality Control Technician Arno Nezy and lead dispatcher Chris Russo.

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport CEO Sean Donohue, receiving the Airport of the Year Award, said: “For those of us who have been in aviation for a long time, we understand that when you get an award from Air Transport World, it carries a lot of credibility in the industry. As we all know, aviation is a tough gig. It is very complex; we tend to be under a microscope almost all the time, and few people really understand the tremendous economic value that this industry provides and generates." 

Aviation Week Network Senior Transport Editor Sean Broderick presents the Joseph S. Murphy Award to Airlink CEO Steven Smith and Founder and Chairman Bob Brown

Airlink founder and chairman Bob Brown, receiving the Joseph S. Murphy Award with CEO Steven Smith, said, “Like any new venture, our survival in the early days was never assured. It has taken a collective vision and hard work of many people in our industry to get us here. But, most of all, it’s taken belief and an entrepreneurial spirit, so we are very grateful to be recognized tonight with an award named after Air Transport World’s founder, an entrepreneur himself.”

“For families waking up to their communities destroyed by disaster and those facing uncertain futures after fleeing violence in their home countries, Airlink and its partners—including many of you in the room tonight—are literally changing and saving lives.”

Aviation Week Group Network Editor-in-Chief Joe Anselmo with Airbus A220 Program Head of Engineering Rob Dewar and A220 Head of Sales Philippe Combet.

Airbus A220 Program Head of Engineering Rob Dewar noted the importance of people inside and outside of the company to turning the A220 into a commercially successful program. “This Airbus partnership really gives us some of the ingredients we were missing for the program to really fulfill its full potential. Hopefully the A220—when you fly on it—will be a symbol and ambassador of innovation and technology.”

Air Transport World Publisher Beth Wagner

Indigo Partners Managing Partner Bill Franke and Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr 

Aviation Week Network President Greg Hamilton, Business Development Manager Jason Washburn and Aviation Week Network Executive Director Joe Anselmo

Spirit flight attendant Suzanna Makino and First Officer Andrew Hanna

AirBaltic CEO Martin Gauss with Indigo Partners Managing Partner Bill Franke and Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr

Airbus A220 Program Head of Engineering Rob Dewar with AirBaltic CEO Martin Gauss

Airlink CEO Steven Smith, with founder & chairman Bob Brown and spouse Su-Moon Paik.

Lufthansa CEO and Chairman Carsten Spohr

AirBaltic CEO Martin Gauss