Gary Beck

Horizon Air CEO

Chief Executive Officer and President of Horizon Air

Gary Beck is president and chief executive officer of Horizon Airlines. Beck is not a newcomer to Alaska Air Group, having served Alaska Airlines from 2008 to June 2015 as vice president of flight operations. 

In his role at Alaska, Beck oversaw 1,600 pilots in Alaska, California and Washington and was responsible for ensuring a safe, reliable and compliant flight operation. In addition, he introduced the airline’s Greener Skies initiative, and ushered in technology game-changers such as pilot iPads and a paperless flight deck.

After retiring from Alaska, Beck continued to serve as the airline’s delegate on the NextGen Advisory Committee Sub Committee (NACSC), where he testified before the U.S. Senate on the airline’s behalf. Since May 2016, he has led a joint Alaska Airlines/Virgin America integration team working towards obtaining a Single Operating Certificate.

He came to Alaska from Delta Air Lines, where he served as senior vice president of flight operations and chief pilot. He was also president and CEO of the Delta Connection Academy for pilot training.

Beck holds a certificate in negotiations from Harvard Law School, an executive management certificate from UCLA's Anderson School of Management and studied aerospace engineering at Central Texas College and business administration at Northern Illinois University He is a qualified pilot on multiple aircraft with over 15,000 flight hours.