There’s a big — and abrupt — change coming to Frontier Airlines’ management.
Frontier said on Monday that airline president James Dempsey had been appointed as interim CEO, immediately replacing longtime chief Barry Biffle, who will remain with the airline for two weeks in an advisory capacity.
A spokesperson for the airline declined to share any additional details surrounding Biffle’s departure, which had not been previously announced or teased.
“The Board of Directors is deeply appreciative of Barry’s leadership and dedicated service to Frontier over the past 11 years,” chairman Bill Franke said in a statement. “We thank him for his many contributions during his tenure.”
Biffle joined Frontier in 2014, first serving as president before taking on the company’s top executive role in March 2016. Before that, he spent eight years at Spirit Airlines, where he was chief marketing officer. Biffle has also worked at Envoy Airlines and Medellin-based VivaColombia, as well as now-defunct US Airways.
Biffle has been known as an outspoken executive who nevertheless led Frontier through periods of turbulence, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and helped the airline expand even as competition has squeezed the ultra-low-cost segment.
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Dempsey, meanwhile, joined Frontier as chief financial officer in 2014, and previously worked at Ryanair.
“Jimmy has been an invaluable member of Frontier’s senior leadership team for more than 10 years and has played an instrumental role in the company’s evolution and growth during that time,” Franke said. “We believe Jimmy is uniquely qualified to guide our airline into the future.”
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