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AGIFORS Names Karl Isler, Tim Niznik, and Richard Ratliff as Fellows at 62nd Annual Symposium

30 September 2022 14:52 | Benedikt Zimmermann (Administrator)


Distinguished Honor Given for Exceptional Accomplishments and Contributions


The Airline Group of the International Federation of Operational Research Societies (AGIFORS) has named Karl Isler, retired Senior Director at Swiss Air Lines, Tim Niznik, Director of Analytics for the Integrated Operations Center at American Airlines, and Richard Ratliff, Executive Scientist at Sabre Labs, as AGIFORS Fellows at its 62nd Annual Symposium held in Toulouse, France.


AGIFORS is a professional society dedicated to the advancement and application of Operational Research in the airline industry with members representing more than 500 airlines, airline manufacturers, universities and aviation related companies and associations. An AGIFORS Fellow is reserved for individuals who have demonstrated outstanding and exceptional accomplishments and experience in the application of operations research to air transportation and who made significant contributions to the AGIFORS community over an extended period of time through participation and leadership.


Laurie Garrow, President of AGIFORS, describes the accomplishments of each new Fellow.


“Karl Isler was instrumental in motivating the airline industry to think about ways to manage revenue when low cost carriers entered the market. Not only did he motivate us to look at revenue management methods for undifferentiated products, he gave us a roadmap for how to do it and worked with IATA to make changes in distribution capabilities. Karl has always been a wonderful mentor to junior staff, and many of his former employees are now in important leadership positions in the industry.”


“Tim Niznik’s passion for improving airline operations and helping make aviation more sustainable is legendary. He has spent his career at American Airlines developing innovative solutions for managing disruptions that have resulted in several patents and features in multiple media outlets including the Charlotte local news station, the New York Timesand CBS This Morning. He has also collaborated with the FAA, NASA and other federal agencies to design and implement solutions that have shaped today’s air transportation system. For example, he worked closely with NASA to help improve aircraft arrival, departure, and surface movement predictability and efficiency and supported operational demonstrations of these new strategies at Charlotte-Douglas and Dallas Ft.-Worth airports. These strategies saved over 1M gallons of jet fuel and 22M pounds of carbon dioxide. Tim has been a strong advocate for AGIFORS and introduced more than 50 new members to the organization during his 17-year tenure as Co-Chair of the Operations Study Group.”


“Richard Ratliff has made sustained contributions in revenue management over the last three decades across multiple areas spanning retail optimization, dynamic pricing, customer choice modeling, customer segmentation, and network revenue management forecasting and optimization under dependent demands and competition. For example, he was instrumental in the development and implementation of Sabre’s advanced origin-destination revenue management systems at multiple airlines including American, Canadian, and US Airways. Richard has served on the AGIFORS Council and other leadership positions for more than two decades, and has help build and strengthen research collaborations among academics, airlines, and vendors. Richard has given more than 35 presentations at AGIFORS events and continues to deliver thought-provoking presentations at our events.”


The AGIFORS Council congratulates Karl Isler, Tim Niznik, and Richard Ratliff on their sustained contributions to the airline industry and commitment to mentoring the next generation of airline professionals. Congratulations!

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