Two thoughts: first, I was a board member of an organization for around a decade. Obviously not the same as being on the board of a major airline, but in my case I was completely removed from the operation. You tend to count on the admin team to tell you the situation and update you on the operation and trust what they tell you. We all know how much you can trust Jeff... So I'm not sure that just being on the board will tell you much. We also don't know how Mr. Munoz voted in those board meetings.

I'm not at all cautiously optimistic. I've seen a lot of CEO's come and go, and I'm still waiting for my first really good one. I'm completely neutral. No idea whether this guy is going to be good, bad, or ugly. But I think you're making a mistake to pigeon hole him before he has even opened the door to his office for the first time. Time will tell what he's like and how he handles things. As long term, dedicated employees, time is something we all have.