While I have a high degree of respect for Bill Compton from knowing him while at TWA, I think John McDannel has a leg up on what Compton tried to accomplish because McDannel also spent 25 years in the banking/finance community, so he understands the "business" side of the airline, as well as the operational side.
But not to worry, as McDannel is not the CEO choice. You're better off looking into a guy by the name of John Brennan, the current CEO of The Vanguard Group (no relation to the airline), a no-load mutual fund firm. There are strong indications that he is the #1 candidate. His leadership/management philosophy is definately one of valuing employees and empowering/motivating them to succeed, as well as allowing all employees incentive to make the company succeed via profit-sharing.