WestJet gets an IT pro

Article Excerpt

WESTJET AIRLINES $23.12 (Toronto symbol WJA; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (1-877493-7853; www.westjet.com; Shares outstanding: 123.3 million; Market cap: $2.7 billion; Dividend yield: 2.4%) has hired airline industry information technology veteran Craig Maccubbin as its chief information officer. For the past four years, Maccubbin was chief technology officer at major U.S. air carrier Southwest Airlines (symbol LUV on New York). There, he oversaw a staff of 500 employees in information technology and mobile applications. Computer systems are increasingly important for airlines, handling everything from bookings and passenger check-in to crew scheduling and bag tracing. Those systems must also meet the expanding demands of smartphone and mobile access. WestJet is a top pick for 2017. 2017…