Former Federal Aviation Administration official Russell Chew, who last month was named Hawaiian Airlines executive vice president of operations, will instead become chief operating officer at JetBlue Airways Corp., the airlines said yesterday.

New York-based JetBlue said Chew, 54, is scheduled to start at the airline on March 19.

Hawaiian Airlines on Feb. 12 had announced that Chew would replace longtime operations chief Norm Davies as the airline's second-highest-ranking executive. Chew had not started the job at Hawaiian when JetBlue made its announcement.

"It is our understanding that he was offered job at JetBlue with the promise of elevation to a more senior position in the near future, and it was strictly a personal decision on his part," said Keoni Wagner, a Hawaiian Airlines spokesman.

"Meanwhile we have accelerated our search for the right person to replace Norm Davis, executive vice president of operations. Norm has committed to carrying on his duties until his successor is in place," Wagner said.

Chew will arrive as JetBlue braces for a wider first-quarter loss after a Feb. 14 New York City snowstorm forced cancellation of more than 1,100 flights. Yesterday, JetBlue said it would park its 25 Embraer E190 jets in stages for repairs.

"Russ brings a wealth of industry and government experience that will help lead JetBlue into a new era of customer service," chief executive David Neeleman said in a statement.

JetBlue, the biggest carrier at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, stranded hundreds of passengers on its planes as long as 10 hours amid the storm. Flight cancellations extended for at least five days as the low-cost carrier struggled to return to normal operations.

The hiring represents more change in JetBlue's management staff. The carrier named Trey Urbahn chief revenue officer on Nov. 14 and changed its chief information officer and its chief financial officer last year.

Chew had served as chief operating officer for the FAA's Air Traffic Organization in Washington D.C., a title he held since 2003. Before that, he worked 17 years at American Airlines, most recently as managing director of system operations control.

Trained as a pilot, Chew has previously flown for American, which he joined in 1985. From 1978 to 1979, he flew DC-3s in Hawai'i for DHL Island Airways, an interisland cargo carrier.