PRESS RELEASE: Aviation leaders from the Americas region come together in Chicago

As the Americas continue to be at the forefront of the recovery, Routes Americas 2023 will unite decision makers from the region’s leading airlines, airports, destinations and suppliers in Chicago, Illinois, this week from 21-23 March. As the only route development forum to bring together the entire Americas regions, the event will see the aviation community propel the region’s air service growth.

The 16th edition of Routes Americas will welcome VPs and Heads of Network Planning from over 80 of the region’s leading carriers. Over 3,000 meetings will take place at the event between these airline stakeholders and new or existing airport and destination partners. These meetings will go on to establish new air route networks across the region and the world.

Airline decision makers attending the event include:

• Head of Network Planning, Aeroméxico
• Managing Director, North America Planning & Scheduling, Air Canada
• MD Global Network Planning, American Airlines
• VP Network Planning, Avianca
• General Manager of Network and Strategic Planning, Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S/A
• Head of Heathrow Network Planning, British Airways
• General Manager, Domestic Planning, Delta Air Lines
• Director - Network Planning, Hawaiian Airlines
• Director Network Planning & Scheduling, Icelandair
• Director of Strategy, JSX
• Head of Network Planning, LATAM Airlines
• Chief Commercial Officer, Lynx Air
• SVP Network & Revenue Management, Norse Atlantic Airways
• Vice President Network Planning & Reporting, Porter Airlines Inc.
• Director, Commercial/airports, Sky High Dominicana
• Chief Commercial Officer, Southern Airways Express
• MD Strategic Planning & Airline Partnerships, Southwest Airlines
• Director Network Planning & Airline Scheduling, Sun Country Airlines
• Chief Commercial Officer, TAR Mexico
• Director, Domestic Network Planning, United Airlines
• Vice President Networks, Alliances and Commercial Planning, Virgin Atlantic Airways

Routes Americas 2023 will also feature a conference programme with over 50 speakers from aviation suppliers, airports, and airline boards of directors, who will deliver more than 15 hours of actionable insight for delegates across the three days of the event. Sponsored by Advance Aviation and Placer.ai, the conference programme will address a range of topics including the role of airline alliances following the pandemic and what's happening in the transatlantic market.

Attendees will hear exclusively from:

• Abhi Shah, President, Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras
• Laura L Jackson, Vice President, Air Service Development, Denver International Airport
• Chris de Man, Director, Air Service, Halifax Stanfield International Airport
• Mark Weithofer, Managing Director, Domestic Network Planning, United Airlines
• Juan Camilo Hoyos, Chief Legal and Institutional Affairs, OPAIN
• Idir Aitsahalia, Network Planning Manager, Avelo Airlines
• Sandra Walter, Director of Development, Airlink
• Norbert Onkelbach, Chief Commercial Officer, Lima Airport
• Trevor Yealy, Head of Network Planning, Avelo Airlines
• Andrew Pierce, Vice President, Network Planning and Reporting, Porter Airlines
• Jason Reisinger, Managing Director, Global Network Planning, American Airlines
• Rikke Munk Christensen, Vice President Networks, Alliances and Commercial Planning, Virgin Atlantic
• Victor Mejia, Chief Commercial Officer, JetSmart Airlines
• Cuitlahuac Martinez Gutierrez, Senior Vice President, Institutional Relations, Government, Airports and Industry Affairs, Aeromexico
• Michèle Barre, Chief Revenue Officer, Air Transat
• Daniel Belmont, Director of Market Development, SkyWest Airlines
• Dallas Degn, Manager - Network Planning, Allegiant Airlines
• Eric Tanner, Vice President Revenue Management and Network Planning, Flair Airlines
• Peter Cerdá, Regional VP Americas, IATA
• Colin Scott, General Manager Network Strategy, Delta Air Lines
• John Pepper, Vice President, Corporate Development, Allegiant Airlines
• Rama Myers, Head of Business Development, ZeroAvia
• Wei Jin, Director, Strategy & Network Planning, Volaris
• Vijay Bathija, Chief Commercial Officer, Lynx Air
• Abelardo Muñoz Martín, Airport Affairs Director, Aeroméxico
• Matthew Glover, Senior Director Network Planning, Spirit Airlines
• Alexandre Lefèvre, VP Network Planning & Scheduling, Air Canada
• Bobby Spann, Vice President - Air Service Development, CVG Airport
• Mark Heefner, Commissioner of Aviation, Greater Binghamton Airport
• Kevin Jackson, Director - Solutions Engineering, Placer.ai
• Thomas Sanderson, Director Sustainability & Emerging Technology, Product Marketing, Boeing
• Christina Cole, Senior Digital Aviation Strategist, Advance Aviation
• Kayleigh Tarbet, Senior Graphic Design and Marketing Specialist, Advance Aviation

“We are so excited to welcome Routes Americas to Chicago,” said Lynn Osmond, President and CEO of Choose Chicago. “As the gateway to the world and the home of two amazing airports, there is no better place than Chicago to host this action-packed week of education, networking and decision-making for the aviation industry. We look forward to showcasing all that our city has to offer to the airlines, airports and other stakeholders attending Routes Americas.”

Steven Small, Director of Routes, said "The Americas have been at the forefront of the recovery in 2022, with the strong US demand showing no signs of slowing down and many Latin American and Caribbean countries back to pre-pandemic levels. Routes Americas 2023 will be the place for the region's leading airlines, airports and destinations to come together and ensure that this positive growth continues."