Jack Boisen, one of the more ardent supporters for the air cargo industry, will retire from Continental Airlines at the end of this summer, but will continue as an active spokesman for the cargo division through November, said company spokesman Tony Randgaard.
The airline did not have an official comment.
Boisen has been the vice president of cargo for Continental since 1994.
"Jack's been a real asset for the cargo divisions of passenger airlines and we will all miss him," said Steve Alterman, president of the Air Cargo Carriers Association.
"Jack's tireless efforts have led us through some very trying times recently experienced in this industry," said Brandon Fried, executive director of the Air Forwarders Association. "His knowledge, understanding and ability to see the security issue clearly have helped the industry as a whole." Boisen has become an important voice in Washington on air cargo security.
And his efforts in response to U.S. Postal Service initiatives have helped Continental hold onto postal business and given other passenger carriers a path to retaining business that might have been lost.
At Continental, Boisen led the implementation of Continental Cargo's revenue management program. He helped the airline realize greater cargo returns for narrowbody aircraft through a program called MAXREV that other airlines have referred to as a model for greater cargo use of the passenger network. He was also the driving force behind the building of modern cargo facilities at Houston Bush Intercontinental, Newark Liberty International and New York Kennedy International.
He was instrumental in developing a 23-point quality management program, in which Continental provides major customers such as DHL and Expeditors International with daily status reports, a program also used to measure Continental Cargo's performance.
As chairman of the Air Cargo Council and president of the International Air Cargo Association, Boisen is in demand at industry events. This year, he discussed the impact on industry of the new air services treaty between the United States and the European Union at the International Air Transport Association's World Air Cargo Symposium.
Before joining Continental, Boisen was vice president of operations for Tracor Aviation in Santa Barbara, Calif. Before that, he was vice president of employee relations for Western Airlines and earlier held the same position at Braniff Airways. He also spent 12 years with TWA.
Robert W. Moorman
