By RUSSELL GRANTHAM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/24/04
Two Delta vice presidents are leaving the airline.
Debbie Siek, vice president of reservation sales, will leave April 1 for an executive position at Cox Communications, said Delta spokesman John Kennedy. Siek, 52, was named to the post in May 2001.
A Cox Communications spokesman said Siek will become vice president of customer service. The company is controlled by Cox Enterprises, owner of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Bradley Patrick, Delta's vice president of human resources-operations, is leaving March 1 and "pursuing other opportunities," said Kennedy. Patrick, 39, came to Delta from Frito-Lay in 2000 and was named vice president in 2002.
They join a handful of Delta executives who have recently departed, including Chairman Leo Mullin, who gave up the CEO post Jan. 1 and retires April 23.
Delta President Fred Reid also may soon exit, according to media reports. The Financial Times reported Monday that British entrepreneur Richard Branson is wooing Reid to head a new U.S. discount carrier, Virgin USA, he hopes to launch next year. Kennedy declined to comment on the report.
Siek headed Delta's reservation operations when the carrier decided to outsource reservations jobs India and the Philippines.
She later said Delta saved $25 million in 2003 — much higher than original estimates — but that no Delta employees lost jobs as a result of outsourcing. Now Delta uses one contractor in India, and the carrier has added 1,200 people at its own reservation centers.
