How this search should actually run
Direct outreach to passive candidates. The strongest airline COO candidates are rarely applying anywhere—they have to be identified and approached directly by someone who can speak credibly to the operating realities of the role.
Reference conversations that go past HR-sanctioned references. Reaching people who actually worked alongside the candidate during an irregular operation, a labor negotiation, or a safety incident is where the operational judgment questions actually get answered.
A tight, senior-led process. A search with too many intermediaries loses the nuance a board needs to make this decision well—particularly the qualitative judgment calls around culture and credibility that don’t reduce to a scorecard.
An airline COO hire that doesn’t work out rarely fails quietly. It shows up in operational metrics, safety culture, and labor relations long before it shows up on a P&L.
Where searches go wrong
Three mistakes account for most failed airline COO searches. Casting too wide a net for the sake of optionality produces a long process that ends in a compromise hire, once the board discovers that an impressive resume and the ability to actually run the airline are not the same thing. Moving too fast on an internal candidate, to avoid the disruption of an external search, without testing that candidate against the real external market. And underestimating how much confidentiality matters—a search that becomes visible internally before it needs to be creates exactly the operational uncertainty a strong hire is supposed to prevent.
Too wide a net. A slate padded with impressive-but-unproven candidates from adjacent industries produces a long process that ends in a compromise hire.
Untested internal candidates. Internal promotions can be the right call, but only if they survive the same scrutiny an outside candidate would face.
Confidentiality slips. A search that becomes visible internally before it needs to be creates exactly the uncertainty a strong hire is meant to prevent.
Questions clients often ask
Is leadership advisory separate from executive search?
Yes. Advisory work may support a future search, an internal succession decision, or a leadership question that does not require recruiting at all.
Can you assess internal and external options together?
Yes. We can help clients compare internal readiness with external market availability and clarify the tradeoffs of each path.
Do you work with boards and private equity sponsors?
Yes. We support public and private company boards, owners, investors, and executive teams across the aviation ecosystem.
How confidential is the process?
Highly confidential. Sensitive leadership, succession, and transition work is handled directly by senior partners with disciplined information control.
The cost of getting it wrong
An airline COO hire that doesn’t work out rarely fails quietly. It shows up in operational metrics, in safety culture, in labor relations, and often in six figures of severance and search costs to do it again — on top of the twelve to eighteen months of operational drag while the wrong person is in the seat. The upfront cost of a rigorous, aviation-specific search is small by comparison.
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Frank Jay & Associates has conducted retained executive search for airlines, aviation, and aerospace organizations since 1986, with particular depth in operational and technical leadership roles.