Robert Milton visit
Last Friday, Robert Milton, Chairman and former CEO of Air Canada, paid our air traffic/airport lab a visit. A lifelong aviation enthusiast, Mr. Milton graduated from Georgia Tech in 1983 and worked for nearly a decade in several areas of the airline industry, before finding his way to Air Canada in 1992. He climbed the ladder in the company quickly, and in 1999 became the President and CEO of the airline. He led them through a major restructuring in route service and the shift in the industry caused by 9/11. He is still involved in aviation at ACE Aviation Holdings, which is responsible for Air Canada and many of its subsidiary companies.
The visit by Mr. Milton was arranged by one of our professors here at Georgia Tech, Dr. Laurie Garrow. For two hours, we sat around a table (with gourmet cookies at the center) in our lab and had the opportunity to hear about his experiences with the aviation industry. He touched on why certain decisions were made at Air Canada during his tenure there, the airline industry’s current status, and the issues that differentiate legacy and low-cost carriers. We had the chance to ask questions that related to our research here, and get his opinions on the future of airlines in the U.S. and worldwide.
It was my first time interacting with the CEO of an international company of that size, and I was very excited to hear his stories. As a product of our meeting, there looks to be a trip in the works for our lab to visit the Air Canada headquarters in Montreal to meet with the company’s executives next semester. As part of our preparation, we will all likely read Mr. Millton’s book, Straight from the Top. I was glad Mr. Milton spent the time with us, providing us insight on the field in which we are researching.