JetBlue today announced the appointment of Edward Baklor as the carrier’s new Vice President, Inflight Experience. He will join JetBlue effective January 2019 and lead the carrier’s 5,000 award-winning inflight crewmembers.

Baklor comes to JetBlue from LaGuardia Gateway Partners where he served as Chief Commercial Officer responsible for leading the team that is transforming the commercial and guest experiences at LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B.

He previously served as the Senior Vice President of Guest Experience at Calgary-based WestJet, where he led the carrier’s airport operations, inflight, and contact center teams. Additionally, Baklor spent 14 years in various leadership roles at The Walt Disney Company’s Theme Parks and Resorts division before joining the aviation industry.

“Ed has built his entire career around the idea of service excellence, making him a perfect fit to lead JetBlue’s Inflight team,” said Ian Deason, JetBlue’s Senior Vice President, Customer Experience. “I’m thrilled to welcome him and look forward to working together to make JetBlue an even better airline for our crewmembers and customers.”

“I’ve always admired JetBlue for creating a great culture that clearly helps drive a memorable experience for its customers,” Baklor added. “I’m very excited to work alongside JetBlue’s inflight crewmembers as the airline continues to grow and evolve.”

Baklor is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C.