SOUTHLAKE, Texas (January 7, 2009) – Sabre Holdings today announced that Hugh Jones has been named president and CEO of Travelocity Global, as current president and CEO Michelle Peluso announced her plans to leave the company effective February 6.
Jones, who has been in the travel industry for more than 20 years, most recently served as chief operating officer for the Sabre Travel Network and Sabre Airline Solutions businesses. He brings extensive experience working with suppliers and travel agencies, and strong global operational expertise having launched the Global Customer Care Center in Montevideo, Uruguay. Jones previously served as senior vice president, North America for Sabre Travel Network, and was responsible for sales, account management and customer service and support for all of the division’s travel agency customers.
Peluso, who led Travelocity to a significant turnaround in profitability after becoming president and CEO in 2003, decided to leave the company following the recent birth of her child, as she plans to seek an executive position that does not involve an ongoing, cross-country commute. In addition to the financial turnaround, Peluso helped lead Travelocity’s global expansion and was instrumental in industry innovations such as Customer Championship, the Roaming Gnome branding campaign, and enhanced merchant hotel and dynamic packaging products.
“Michelle has been an extraordinary leader for Travelocity and an important influence for the industry as a whole, and will certainly be missed. She has built a strong business and future for Travelocity,” said Sam Gilliland, president and CEO of Sabre Holdings. “Hugh has proven to be one of the great leaders in our business. Both Michelle and I felt that he was an excellent choice to lead Travelocity moving forward given his strong global and operational experience and his deep understanding of the travel agency channel, including online travel agencies. He will of course be supported by an incredibly strong leadership team at Travelocity.”
Based in Southlake, Texas, Jones began his career with American Airlines, where his roles included financial controller for the airline’s European and Pacific airport, sales and reservation operations, and financial controller of food and beverage services. He also served as manager of financial analysis, where he coordinated both competitive and labor contract analysis. Jones has also served as controller for the entire Sabre Holdings portfolio of businesses. Jones earned a master’s degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University and a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Wisconsin.
About Travelocity Global
Travelocity® is committed to being the traveler’s champion — before, during and after the trip – and provides the most comprehensive and proactive guarantee in the industry (www.travelocity.com/guarantee). This customer-driven focus, backed by 24/7 live phone support, competitive prices and powerful shopping technology has made Travelocity one of the largest travel companies in the world with annual gross bookings of more than U.S. $10 billion. Travelocity also owns and operates: Travelocity Business® for corporate travel; igougo.com, a leading online travel community; lastminute.com, a leader in European online travel; and ZUJI, a leader in Asia-Pacific online travel. Travelocity is owned by Sabre Holdings Corporation, a world leader in travel marketing and distribution.
