John King was appointed chairman of British Airways in 1981 to lead a turnaround. The airline was losing money, overstaffed, and had poor customer service. King initiated drastic changes, including reducing staff by 9,000 in 9 months. By focusing on customer service and intensive training, British Airways became profitable again by 1990. In 1996, Robert Ayling became CEO and continued the success, but economic issues in 1997 hurt profits. Ayling focused more on profits than employees, damaging morale. By 2000, British Airways was losing money again and Ayling left the company.