Wade Steel Named President and Chief Operating Officer of SkyWest Airlines
SkyWest, Inc. (NASDAQ:SKYW) ("SkyWest") today announced that Wade Steel has been named president and chief operating officer of SkyWest Airlines, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SkyWest, Inc.
As president and chief operating officer of SkyWest Airlines, the company’s largest operating entity, Steel will be responsible for the airline’s operational and fiscal success. He will oversee SkyWest Airlines leadership and continue reporting to Chip Childs, SkyWest, Inc. President and CEO. As he takes on managing over 16,000 employees, 2,600 daily departures, and partnerships with four major airlines, Steel’s leadership will help advance SkyWest’s position as the premier regional airline.
"Wade’s work with our airline partners, commercial strategy, and fleet development has prepared him well for this role at SkyWest Airlines," said Childs. "His direct approach and passion for SkyWest’s success will be tremendous assets as SkyWest Airlines continues to grow and compete."
As Steel assumes leadership of the airline’s operations and assets, Bryce Bailey has been named vice president of commercial contracts, where he will oversee the entity’s vendor and commercial agreements. He will continue to report to Wade Steel. Bailey joined SkyWest’s team in 2011 and was named managing director of planning in 2021. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Brigham Young University.
Steel joined SkyWest leadership in 2007 and served as Vice President – Controller of SkyWest Airlines from 2011-2014. He was named Executive Vice President of SkyWest, Inc. in 2014 before becoming the Chief Commercial Officer in 2015. During his time at SkyWest, Steel has been instrumental in SkyWest’s significant fleet transition and evolution. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting from Brigham Young University.
"As SkyWest grows, these leadership appointments will help us continue to evolve and advance while holding fast to our core values of excellent service & quality, operational reliability, respect and teamwork, and always safety first," continued Childs. "We look forward to the bright future ahead."
About SkyWest
SkyWest, Inc. is the holding company for SkyWest Airlines, SWC, and SkyWest Leasing, an aircraft leasing company. SkyWest Airlines has a fleet of 500 aircraft connecting passengers to over 260 destinations throughout North America. SkyWest Airlines operates through partnerships with United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines carrying 46 million passengers in 2025.
Forward Looking-Statements
In addition to historical information, this release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding advancing SkyWest’s position as the premier regional airline, SkyWest’s growth plans for future operations and fiscal success, and other statements that are not historical facts. All forward-looking statements included in this release are made as of the date hereof and are based on information available to SkyWest as of such date. SkyWest assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements for any reason. Readers should note that many factors could cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements set forth in this release. These factors include, but are not limited to uncertainty regarding timing of future aircraft deliveries, which is subject to change for various reasons; developments associated with fluctuations in the economy and the demand for air travel, including related to inflationary pressures, and related decreases in customer demand and spending; the prospects of entering into agreements with existing or other carriers to fly new aircraft; uncertainties regarding operation of new aircraft; and other unanticipated factors. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors affecting SkyWest can be found in SkyWest’s public periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, available at www.sec.gov.
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