WASHINGTON (AP) – A decade after setting Delta Air Line on a post-bankruptcy resurgence, the airline’s former chairman and chief executive officer is taking on another transportation challenge: Amtrak.
The railroad on Monday named Richard Anderson as its top executive, putting a leader known for innovation and customer service in charge of a government operation struggling to keep up with congestion and crumbling infrastructure.
Anderson, a former Texas prosecutor, gained a reputation among Delta’s rivals as brash and unrelenting, but he won employees’ hearts with policies that encouraged them to speak up and challenge leadership’s mistakes.
When Anderson left Delta in 2016, the airline posted an 18 percent operating-profit margin, better than rivals American Airlines and United Airlines.
“Richard understands the basics of what is necessary to serve customers well,” Amtrak board chairman Tony Coscia said. “That’s something Amtrak will benefit from.”