Alaska Air Group names Max Tidwell VP of Safety and Security

Alaska Air Group’s board of directors named Max Tidwell vice president of safety and security for Alaska Air Group and Alaska Airlines. Tidwell will oversee all safety functions, develop and execute long-term safety and security strategies and continue to advance Alaska Airlines’ world class safety culture.

“The safety of our guests and our people is our number one priority and Max is extremely well suited to continue to deepen our safety culture,” said Brad Tilden, chairman and chief executive officer of Alaska Air Group. “He has three decades of aviation experience, including leading key functions within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He also continues to serve our country as a member of the Air National Guard.”

Tidwell was most recently the FAA division manager for Air Carrier Safety Assurance, with offices in Atlanta and Miami. He has held multiple roles at the FAA over his 22-year career, including as manager for Seattle, where he worked with Alaska Airlines. He graduated from Southern Illinois University with a bachelor’s in aviation management.

He is a 30-year veteran of the Air Force and currently serves as command chief for the Washington Air National Guard, providing mission-ready personnel and equipment for a wide array of Department of Defense (DoD) missions.
Tidwell succeeds Tom Nunn who will continue to serve as Alaska Airlines vice president of safety until his retirement in June 2018, capping a 10-year career with the airline. Under Nunn’s lead, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air achieved FAA acceptance of their Safety Management System (SMS), a significant milestone that integrates and embeds safety throughout the culture and business processes of each airline.

Alaska Airlines and its regional partners fly 44 million guests a year to more than 115 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica.