David M. Tait
Encyclopedia
David Martin Tait OBE
(born September 29, 1947) is a Scottish
-born commercial airline
executive, brand/marketing consultant and syndicated travel
columnist
best known for his work as the architect of the Virgin Atlantic Airways
business plan and the company’s first employee in North America. During his career, Tait has served in senior executive and advisory positions for a number of airline
s and travel-related companies.
, Scotland
, the son of William Tait, a carpet industry executive and Margaret Tait. He was educated at the Carolside Primary School in Clarkston East Renfrewshire until age twelve when, with his family, he moved to Yorkshire
, England
. In Halifax
he attended The Crossley and Porter Boys Grammar School until the age of eighteen - holding the position of Deputy Head Boy in his senior year.
After a brief spell working with his father in the textile industry
,Tait relocated to Spain and so began a life-long career in the airline/travel industry. Starting out as a field sales advisor for the Thompson /Britannia
Group in Mallorca
, Spain
, he graduated to destination manager in Spain
, Moscow
, Cyprus
and Greece
. In 1975 he immigrated to Toronto
, Canada
to work for WardAir
, a Canadian Charter Airline, before being recruited by Sir Freddie Laker to serve as the General Manager
for Laker Airways
in Toronto
. In 1979 Tait moved with the company to Miami, Florida
as Vice President
, Marketing
for the fast-growing transatlantic carrier’s “SkyTrain” low cost scheduled air service to the UK. He stayed with Laker Airways until the company declared bankruptcy
in early 1982.
Following the untimely demise of Laker Airways
, Tait joined AM&M, a Miami-based aviation consulting firm, and it was here that he was asked to write the initial business plan
for a start-up with the working title of British Atlantic Airways which would eventually become Virgin Atlantic Airways
. In 1984, Tait moved to New York City
to become the fledgling airline’s first US employee. Working out of a Greenwich Village
townhouse and reporting directly to Chairman Richard Branson, Tait built and led all the airline's North American operations including sales
, marketing
, operations, customer service
, finance
, IT
and HR
as Executive Director
and Executive Vice President North America
from 1984–2002. On May 1, 2001 at Buckingham Palace
, David’s achievements were recognized when he was awarded an OBE
(Officer of the Order of The British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II for “services to British aviation in the United States”.
Tait left Virgin Atlantic in 2002 and served as Chief Executive Officer
for Avocet Aircraft
and Spitfire Aviation Partners before returning to Canada to take the position of Senior Vice President, Customer Service
, for Air Canada
in Montreal
. Tait left the company in 2007 to form CONSULTAIT a firm focusing on consulting
in brand-building
, integrated marketing
and customer service
for a wide variety of international clients in both aviation and other service-related industries.
Tait has a son and a daughter by his first marriage with Ines Tait (nee Hackenberg) and presently lives in New Canaan, Connecticut
, with his wife Taylor and their three sons where, in addition to his consulting assignments he is a freelance editor speech writer and syndicated
columnist for the online publication Travel Industry Today with the popular weekly column “Tait on Travel.” He is also a founding partner in the online luxury hotel booking site Discover Luxury.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born September 29, 1947) is a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
-born commercial airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
executive, brand/marketing consultant and syndicated travel
Travel
Travel is the movement of people or objects between relatively distant geographical locations. 'Travel' can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.-Etymology:...
columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
best known for his work as the architect of the Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited is a British airline owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines...
business plan and the company’s first employee in North America. During his career, Tait has served in senior executive and advisory positions for a number of airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
s and travel-related companies.
Biography
Tait was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the son of William Tait, a carpet industry executive and Margaret Tait. He was educated at the Carolside Primary School in Clarkston East Renfrewshire until age twelve when, with his family, he moved to Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
he attended The Crossley and Porter Boys Grammar School until the age of eighteen - holding the position of Deputy Head Boy in his senior year.
After a brief spell working with his father in the textile industry
Textile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the production of yarn, and cloth and the subsequent design or manufacture of clothing and their distribution. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry....
,Tait relocated to Spain and so began a life-long career in the airline/travel industry. Starting out as a field sales advisor for the Thompson /Britannia
Britannia Airways
Britannia Airways was the largest charter airline in the United Kingdom, rebranded as Thomsonfly in 2005. Its main bases were Gatwick, London Luton, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow...
Group in Mallorca
Mallorca
Majorca or Mallorca is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the Balearic Islands.The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Cabrera Archipelago is administratively grouped with Majorca...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, he graduated to destination manager in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. In 1975 he immigrated to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to work for WardAir
Wardair
Wardair Canada was a privately-run Canadian airline, founded by Max Ward in 1953 under the name Wardair Ltd, before formally changing its name to "Wardair Canada" in 1976...
, a Canadian Charter Airline, before being recruited by Sir Freddie Laker to serve as the General Manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
for Laker Airways
Laker Airways
Laker Airways was a wholly private, British independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline founded by Sir Freddie Laker in 1966. It originally was a charter airline flying passengers and cargo worldwide...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. In 1979 Tait moved with the company to Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
as Vice President
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
, Marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
for the fast-growing transatlantic carrier’s “SkyTrain” low cost scheduled air service to the UK. He stayed with Laker Airways until the company declared bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
in early 1982.
Following the untimely demise of Laker Airways
Laker Airways
Laker Airways was a wholly private, British independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline founded by Sir Freddie Laker in 1966. It originally was a charter airline flying passengers and cargo worldwide...
, Tait joined AM&M, a Miami-based aviation consulting firm, and it was here that he was asked to write the initial business plan
Business plan
A business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons why they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach those goals....
for a start-up with the working title of British Atlantic Airways which would eventually become Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited is a British airline owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines...
. In 1984, Tait moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to become the fledgling airline’s first US employee. Working out of a Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
townhouse and reporting directly to Chairman Richard Branson, Tait built and led all the airline's North American operations including sales
Sales
A sale is the act of selling a product or service in return for money or other compensation. It is an act of completion of a commercial activity....
, marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
, operations, customer service
Customer service
Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.According to Turban et al. , “Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer...
, finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
, IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
and HR
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
as Executive Director
Executive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
and Executive Vice President North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
from 1984–2002. On May 1, 2001 at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
, David’s achievements were recognized when he was awarded an OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(Officer of the Order of The British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II for “services to British aviation in the United States”.
Tait left Virgin Atlantic in 2002 and served as Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
for Avocet Aircraft
Avocet ProJet
The Avocet ProJet was a Very Light Jet introduced by Avocet Aircraft, a Westport, CT., based company founded by Carey Robinson Wolchok and Andrew Chao, two aviation industry private equity investors and entrepreneurs, and Israel Aircraft Industries...
and Spitfire Aviation Partners before returning to Canada to take the position of Senior Vice President, Customer Service
Customer service
Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.According to Turban et al. , “Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer...
, for Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. Tait left the company in 2007 to form CONSULTAIT a firm focusing on consulting
Consultant
A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
in brand-building
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
, integrated marketing
Integrated Marketing Communications
Integrated Marketing Communications is defined as customer centric, data driven method of communicating with the customer. IMC is the coordination and integration of all marketing communication tools, avenues, functions and sources within a company into a seamless program that maximizes the impact...
and customer service
Customer service
Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.According to Turban et al. , “Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer...
for a wide variety of international clients in both aviation and other service-related industries.
Tait has a son and a daughter by his first marriage with Ines Tait (nee Hackenberg) and presently lives in New Canaan, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, with his wife Taylor and their three sons where, in addition to his consulting assignments he is a freelance editor speech writer and syndicated
Print syndication
Print syndication distributes news articles, columns, comic strips and other features to newspapers, magazines and websites. They offer reprint rights and grant permissions to other parties for republishing content of which they own/represent copyrights....
columnist for the online publication Travel Industry Today with the popular weekly column “Tait on Travel.” He is also a founding partner in the online luxury hotel booking site Discover Luxury.
External links
- Advertising Age Article
- Ad Age Article
- LA Times Article
- “Virgin Clubhouse" sets the standard for Newark carriers
- Freddie Awards
- Strategy & Business
- Telegraph UK Article
- Who is Branson?
- New York Times Article
- How Richard Branson Works Magic
- Leaders in Luxury
- Executive Appointments at Air Canada
- Veterans Air Canada Rounds Out Team
- Flyer - Talk Air Canada Executive Appointments
- Travel Hot News
- CTV Interview
- Travel Industry Today website
- New York Times Weddings
- Discover Luxury