Industry Moves: Travelocity CEO Peluso Preparing For Departure
This story was written by David Kaplan.
Travelocity CEO Michelle Peluso is packing her bags and will leave the online travel agency early next month. She'll be replaced by Hugh Jones, who most recently served as chief operating officer for the Sabre Travel Network and Sabre Airline Solutions businesses. Sabre Holdings is Travelocity's parent company.
Peluso came to Travelocity in 2002, when the company acquired online travel site Site59.com, which she founded. Transitioning from CEO of Site59, Peluso became Travelocity's COO a year later. At the end of 2003, she was tapped as president and CEO. Over the past year, as other vertical categories started seeing slower growth, travel-related sites were still holding their own. That remains to be seen as the economic recession deepens however. Jones, who had served as a financial controller for American Airlines in the past, was likely singled out to succeed Peluso because of his background. No word on where Peluso's next destination is.
By David Kaplan