CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cathay Pacific Airways’ new service to Hong Kong from Chicago launching Sept. 1 will take wing under the leadership of two industry veterans. Richard Peterson joins the carrier as airport services manager – Chicago and Matthew Seymour joins as sales manager – Midwest United States.
“Our focus on service starts with hiring the right individuals to lead local teams,” said Scott Mowrer, senior vice president, Americas, for Cathay Pacific. “Matt and Richard will immerse themselves in our culture and ensure – as they build their own teams – there is a complete commitment to our overall Service Straight from the Heart philosophy. That’s what truly sets us apart from other airlines.”
Seymour, who joins the airline today, will manage Cathay Pacific’s sales efforts in Chicago and throughout the Midwest United States. A 17-year veteran of several major domestic carriers, he most recently served as global accounts manager for United Airlines in Chicago with responsibility for major partnership programs with key global travel management companies. He has also worked in sales throughout the Midwest for US Airways as well as in passenger operations in Milwaukee and Florida for Midwest Express Airlines. Seymour earned a bachelor of science in business administration from Cambridge International University.
Beginning May 1, Peterson will oversee the preparation for, and subsequently manage, Cathay Pacific’s passenger flight operations at Chicago O’Hare. He will join the airline from Lufthansa German Airlines where he currently serves as station manager of the carrier’s operations in Seattle. Peterson has also served with Gulf Air and began his aviation career nearly 20 years ago with American Airlines, with whom Cathay Pacific will codeshare on flights to/from Chicago. He has also worked with Tenzing Communications on their inflight email products and interned with CNN in Berlin. Peterson studied European communications at the University of Amsterdam and holds a bachelor of arts, earned magna cum laude, from San Francisco State University.
“Both Richard and Matt will be tremendous assets to us in Chicago,” said Eric Odone, vice president, sales and marketing, Americas, for Cathay Pacific. “Even with the great connecting support we’ll receive from our oneworld™ partner, American Airlines, we know we’ll be competing with a reinvigorated local competitor on this route. We will need to ensure our people bring our brand to life from day one, allowing customers to experience the Cathay Pacific difference and know that they made a smart decision to fly on the airline that knows Hong Kong best.”
Peterson and Seymour’s appointments complement Douglas Wahl, who already serves as Cathay Pacific’s cargo manager, Midwest United States, and Y.L. Wong, engineering manager for Chicago. The airline currently flies all-cargo freighters daily from Chicago to Hong Kong via Anchorage and twice weekly via Amsterdam and Dubai. It began its Chicago cargo operation 15 years ago in 1996.
Additional staff openings in Chicago will be advertised via the “Careers” link on the airline’s Web site, www.cathaypacific.com/us.
Cathay Pacific will launch service to Chicago using a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Departing out of Terminal 5 at O’Hare International Airport, Flight CX807 will depart Chicago each day at 3:25 p.m. Central time and arrive in Hong Kong at 8 p.m. local the next day. Return service via CX806 will depart Hong Kong daily at 11:45 a.m. local and arrive Chicago at 1:45 p.m. Central time. Once in Hong Kong, passengers can connect onwards via the extensive Asian network of Cathay Pacific and its sister carrier, Dragonair.
A three-time winner of the Skytrax Airline of the Year award, Cathay Pacific currently offers multiple daily services to Hong Kong from Los Angeles, New York JFK and San Francisco onboard an all widebody fleet of Boeing aircraft. More information can be found at www.cathaypacific.com/us or on the airline’s pages on Facebook and Twitter.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Photos of Mr. Peterson and Mr. Seymour available upon request.