Comair Leadership to Change

Don Bornhorst, who was named president of regional carrier Comair in May 2006, is being promoted on Oct. 15 to the post of senior vice president of Delta Connection. He will be replaced by John Selvaggio, who retired in 2004 as president of Song, Delta's former low-fare division.

Bornhorst had replaced Fred Buttrell, who resigned at Comair in the middle of a dispute with flight attendants over contract concessions the carrier said it needed to emerge from bankruptcy. Three months after Bornhorst took the new job, the airline's Flight 5191 crashed in Lexington, Ky., killing 49 people.

Bornhorst will oversee day-to-day operations of the nine Delta Connection partners that provide connections to the Atlanta-based carrier.

Comair, based near Cincinnati in Erlanger, Ky., and Delta emerged from bankruptcy on April 30. The restructuring of the regional carrier resulted in annual cost savings of about $90 million and cuts in its work force.

Now that both are out of bankruptcy, Delta managers have said they may sell Comair, which has been a Delta connection partner since 1984.

Selvaggio, who was senior vice president for Delta's airport customer service division before serving as president of Song, said he was not aware of any proposed deal involving Comair.

"I think the thing that's most clear is that Delta wants Comair as part of its future and it could be continued to be owned or it could be sold, but it would still be a Delta connection," Selvaggio said.

Analysts say the move for Bornhorst is a logical progression for him as Delta focuses on improving its Delta Connection operation.

Delta is facing a challenge in better integrating its regional carriers, said aviation industry analyst Mike Boyd of The Boyd Group.

"They have to tighten down these small jet providers," Boyd said. "They have to tighten down the costs and ratchet up the service levels."

Boyd said getting an experienced industry veteran like Selvaggio to replace Bornhorst is a "home run" for Comair.

Selvaggio said his focus has been innovation and improving morale and customer service.

"I do know that you have a lot more options, and your future is a lot brighter if you do a really good job and continue to satisfy your customers," Selvaggio said.

Comair has received four of the 14, 76-seat aircraft that the regional airline also is counting on to boost revenue, and that analysts have said are essential as the 50-seat segment of the market declines.

The Bombardier CRJ-900s feature 12 first-class seats and 64 coach seats, and are Delta's first new order for Comair in three years and the first in Comair's fleet to include first-class cabins.

Comair operates 730 flights a day to about 90 cities in the United States and Canada.