When Jeffrey Katz goes on a business trip, he doesn't just fly first class. As the head of Swissair, he gets to ride in the cockpit. "The best thing is flying from Geneva to Zurich, with a full panoramic view of the Alps," he says.
Katz was named the airline's chief operating officer in April 1997 and promoted to CEO in January. Given the Swiss penchant for national tradition and diplomacy, it was surprising that the national airline picked a foreigner to take charge, especially one who believes in aggressive American-style business tactics. But Swissair was in a six-year slump brought on by its slow reaction to the deregulation of the European airline market in the 1990s. And Katz was a proven industry specialist who knew how to attack this new market. He began his career at American in 1980, in the thick of U.S. airline deregulation.
At Swissair, he cut operating costs through increased automation, forged alliances with other airlines and replaced an aging fleet. His methods worked. By March 1998, the airline was operating in the black for the first time since 1991.
Like many foreigners in Switzerland, Katz chafes at what he calls the country's confining sense of order," something that his wife, Karen, a writer of children's books, and their two children also found difficult at first. But the family has discovered compensations, one being that they can now easily indulge their passion for skiing.
At work, the Napa, Calif. native has managed to import some casual culture into the formality. In a country where people who have worked together for years still call each other Mr. or Mrs., Katz insists that his co-workers call him Jeff. He also sends a weekly e-mail message "Good Morning, Swissair!" to many of the company's 8,000 employees around the world, and encourages replies.
Since he began his airline career, Katz estimates he has flown more than half a million miles. So, how does he avoid jet lag? "Drink plenty of water, stay on the local clock, and fly first class a lot!" Or, better yet, take a seat in the cockpit.
--Brenda Watson Newmann, '81
