Michelle Peluso to leave Travelocity

Michelle Peluso, chief executive and president of Travelocity, owner of lastminute.com, is to leave the company in February 2009. Citing family reasons for her departure in an announcement made today, parent company Sabre said Peluso will be replaced from February 6 by Sabre Travel Network’s chief operating officer Hugh Jones. Peluso is widely credited with…

Michelle Peluso, chief executive and president of Travelocity, owner of lastminute.com, is to leave the company in February 2009.

Citing family reasons for her departure in an announcement made today, parent company Sabre said Peluso will be replaced from February 6 by Sabre Travel Network’s chief operating officer Hugh Jones.

Peluso is widely credited with leading Travelocity to a significant turnaround financially since becoming president and CEO in 2003. She joined the business as part of its acqusition of Site59.

Sam Gilliland, president and chief executive of Sabre Holdings, said: “Michelle has been an extraordinary leader for Travelocity and an important influence for the industry as a whole, and will certainly be missed. She has built a strong business and future for Travelocity.

“Hugh has proven to be one of the great leaders in our business. Both Michelle and I felt that he was an excellent choice to lead Travelocity moving forward given his strong global and operational experience and his deep understanding of the travel agency channel, including online travel agencies.

“He will of course be supported by an incredibly strong leadership team at Travelocity.”