Top 40 Under 40: Molly Waits

Dec. 3, 2014

BIO:

Molly E. Waits, Director of Air Service Development for the Houston Airport System (HAS) oversees a team of executives responsible for creating and executing air service development strategies at Houston’s three airports—Ellington Airport (EFD), Houston Hobby (HOU), and Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).  Molly joined HAS in October 2004, and has focused her energies on improving passenger and cargo traffic and increasing air services provided through Houston’s three airports.  Prior to joining the Houston Airport System, Ms. Waits worked over 6 years with Northwest Airlines in corporate sales. 

Ms. Waits earned a Masters of Business Administration in Global Management from the University of Phoenix in 2003 and a Bachelor of Science in International Trade and Finance from Louisiana State University in 1997.  

Top 40 Under 40 Questions        

Why did you select aviation as a career?

Aviation is and has been such a major part of my life that I think it is actually in my DNA.  The seed was planted very early as my parents were well anchored in the industry having become aviation professionals for several air carriers during their adult careers.  My father worked for Braniff Airlines, and later, Western Airlines, with his career culminating at Delta Air Lines in Atlanta.  My mother’s professional aviation experience included work with British Caledonian Airways, Air Canada, U.S. Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, UTA French Airlines, and finally, Air France.  Additionally, my step-father worked in aviation more than 40 years with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in both passenger and cargo divisions. 

From my vantage point, aviation is exciting, intriguing, challenging, and it is truly an ever-changing landscape with each airline presenting a fresh new canvas to work with.  And, to be privileged enough to work in this industry is a most rewarding experience.   It involves a tremendous amount of hard work and tenacity, and yet, it is also quite a fun industry to be associated with.  My work with Northwest Airlines and the Houston Airport System has given me the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally.  In the process, I have developed outstanding business relationships and friendships across all spectrums of the industry. 

I sometimes reflect that I nearly avoided this career because of some instability that my parents experienced during their careers, i.e. airline closures, layoffs, deregulation.  But, there was an opening at Northwest that would eventually lead me to Houston.  I followed that star and never looked back; and now I could not imagine my life if aviation were not a part of it! 

What advice from a mentor helped you the most in your career?

Very early in my career with Northwest Airlines, I received some valuable advice that has helped me get to where I am today.  When I started with Northwest Airlines, I had just graduated college and thought I fully understood how the world—and business—worked.  I was in a sales role, and after presenting a fair, lucrative deal to a client, I could not understand why they were not ready to move forward with it and start driving their traffic to Northwest Airlines.  

A colleague at the time told me that I had to be patient.  In the sales role, you have to have patience and tenacity to work with customers to find the solutions that meet the customers’ needs on their timelines.  

This has never been more prevalent than in my current role in Air Service Development for the Houston Airport System (HAS).  The sales cycle for working with an airline before the stars align and they are able to expand to your market can take many years.  The airline has to have the right aircraft which may be light years away from delivery.  They also have to have formulated the right airline partnerships and the market has to grow to a level that can sustain nonstop service. 

The virtue of patience has been something I learned very early in my career and it literally fortified my resolve to stay true to myself and never give up.  Now I find that realizing the success of many years of work is very fulfilling.  To that end, an important highlight of my career is that I worked during my entire tenure at HAS to gain nonstop service to China, and it finally came to fruition in July, 2013, when Air China started nonstop service connecting Houston and Beijing. This was a huge win for Air China, as well as for HAS, and a personal achievement for me. 

What is the biggest challenge you see facing aviation today?

There are so many challenges in the industry that it is really difficult to select just one as the biggest.  Some challenges include the ongoing taxation by the Federal government, viral outbreaks such as Ebola; but, I believe one of the biggest challenges today is security.    

Maintaining secure operations is an ongoing challenge for airlines, airports, and the aviation industry as a whole.  Another security strike to the industry—such as we experienced on 9/11—would have a crippling effect.  But, security cannot be enforced at the ultimate cost of overall customer service.  There is a complex balance between maintaining security and providing a positive customer experience. 

Security protocols have changed numerous times in the past decade, and airlines and airports have to be flexible in order to meet the ever-changing dynamics.  At the same time, airports and airlines have to ensure that the customer experience is positive.   The aviation industry definitely needs to keep security—with a balance of positive customer experience—as a top priority focus.  

What advice would you give to others in the industry?

I would advise anyone in the aviation industry to embrace change fully and completely.  Our industry has changed significantly in my 17 years in this field, and I don’t see an end to that trend.  If you are an individual who craves stability, the aviation industry may present many challenges for you.  However, possessing the proper tenacity and focus can help you meet those challenges head on and you can prosper and find that you love the aviation industry as much as the rest of us do.       

What are three things we don’t know about you?

  1. I rode a bicycle from Houston to Austin.  Twice.  I participated in a charity bike ride called the MS-150 two consecutive years which includes a two-day bike ride from Houston to Austin (75 miles each day).   It was a huge challenge, but extremely rewarding.  After taking a few years off from cycling, I’m considering training and doing it all over again in 2016.  
  1. I played soccer for over 20 years.  When I started playing soccer at 5 years old, it was not something that was very popular among girls and there were no girls teams available.  So, my parents decided I should join a boys team. I played on the boys soccer team for two or three years before there were enough girls in our area to create our own league.   I played throughout High School and on a recreational level throughout and beyond college.    
  1. I played trombone in Middle School, and even though my arms weren’t quite long enough for the lowest notes, I held the “first chair” position the majority of the time I was a band member.  One of my biggest regrets is that I didn’t continue playing in band during High School, but I had to choose between marching band and sports, and I loved playing sports too much to give them up.  I don’t regret my choice, but I do wish I had kept up with playing the trombone even if only recreationally.