Robert L. Fornaro
Encyclopedia
Robert L. Fornaro was the chairman, president and Chief Executive Officer
of AirTran Holdings Inc., and its subsidiary, AirTran Airways
in Orlando, Florida until AirTran merged with Southwest Airlines
in May 2011, when he became a full time consultant on the merger, sitting on the integration board.
in scheduling and planning. Fornaro was senior vice president - marketing and planning at Braniff, Inc
. Fornaro served as vice president - research for Jesup & Lamont Securities, Inc. and director of future schedule planning for Trans World Airlines
. He was then senior vice president - marketing planning at Northwest Airlines
from 1988-1992, where he managed international alliances and regional airline partner relationships.
From 1992 to 1997, Fornaro served as senior vice president - planning for US Airways
where he directed the company's route planning, pricing and revenue management
and overall corporate strategy. Prior to joining AirTran Airways, he operated an aviation consulting practice.
Fornaro joined AirTran Airways in March 1999 as president and CFO. He was named chief operating officer
and elected to the board of directors in March 2001. Fornaro became chief executive officer on 1 November 2007, taking over from Joe Leonard.
When AirTran merged with Southwest Airlines
in 2011, Fornaro received a payment of $2.9 million. Fornaro is acting as a consultant for the integration of the airlines.
, N.Y., and he attended Rutgers College in New Brunswick, N.J.
, on a lacrosse
scholarship and earned a bachelors degree in economics
. He was a lacrosse midfielder. He also received a masters degree in city and regional planning from Harvard University
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. He is a director of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
and serves on the board of the Georgia Aquarium
. Fornaro and his wife, Karen, who he married in the 1970s, reside in Orlando
and have three adult children, two sons and a daughter.
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of AirTran Holdings Inc., and its subsidiary, AirTran Airways
AirTran Airways
AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of the Dallas, Texas-based Southwest Airlines, is an American low-cost airline headquartered in Orlando, Florida. AirTran operates over 650 daily flights , primarily in the eastern and midwestern United States...
in Orlando, Florida until AirTran merged with Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
in May 2011, when he became a full time consultant on the merger, sitting on the integration board.
Career
After he left Harvard, Fornaro worked for Trans World AirlinesTrans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
in scheduling and planning. Fornaro was senior vice president - marketing and planning at Braniff, Inc
Braniff International Airways
Braniff International Airways was an American airline that operated from 1928 until 1982, primarily in the midwestern and southwestern U.S., South America, Panama, and in its later years also Asia and Europe...
. Fornaro served as vice president - research for Jesup & Lamont Securities, Inc. and director of future schedule planning for Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
. He was then senior vice president - marketing planning at Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...
from 1988-1992, where he managed international alliances and regional airline partner relationships.
From 1992 to 1997, Fornaro served as senior vice president - planning for US Airways
US Airways
US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....
where he directed the company's route planning, pricing and revenue management
Revenue management
Revenue Management is the application of disciplined analytics that predict consumer behavior at the micro-market level and optimize product availability and price to maximize revenue growth. The primary aim of Revenue Management is selling the right product to the right customer at the right time...
and overall corporate strategy. Prior to joining AirTran Airways, he operated an aviation consulting practice.
Fornaro joined AirTran Airways in March 1999 as president and CFO. He was named chief operating officer
Chief operating officer
A Chief Operating Officer or Director of Operations can be one of the highest-ranking executives in an organization and comprises part of the "C-Suite"...
and elected to the board of directors in March 2001. Fornaro became chief executive officer on 1 November 2007, taking over from Joe Leonard.
When AirTran merged with Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
in 2011, Fornaro received a payment of $2.9 million. Fornaro is acting as a consultant for the integration of the airlines.
Education and personal life
Fonaro is originally from Long IslandLong Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, N.Y., and he attended Rutgers College in New Brunswick, N.J.
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
, on a lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
scholarship and earned a bachelors degree in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
. He was a lacrosse midfielder. He also received a masters degree in city and regional planning from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. He is a director of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce is the chamber of commerce for the Atlanta metropolitan area. It was founded in 1859....
and serves on the board of the Georgia Aquarium
Georgia Aquarium
The Georgia Aquarium, located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, at Pemberton Place, is the world's largest aquarium with more than of marine and fresh water housing more than 120,000 animals of 500 different species...
. Fornaro and his wife, Karen, who he married in the 1970s, reside in Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
and have three adult children, two sons and a daughter.
External links
- Profile at Forbes.com
- CEO Interview: AirTran's Robert Fornaro, Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, 23 April 2009 (YouTube) - Down to Business: AirTran Expands, Competes in MKE Market, interview with Milwaukee Public Radio, 28 December 2009