He holds commercial and flight instructor pilot certificates with instrument and multi-engine ratings.
Ayer founded and was president of Air Olympia, a commuter airline serving Washington state.
“We didn't go broke, but we probably would have if we'd stuck with it.”[2] He also served as a regional manager for Piper Aircraft Co. Ayer began his career with Alaska in 1995 as vice president of marketing and planning and progressed through various posts to become chief executive officer in 2002, and chairman in 2003.
He spent 13 years at Horizon where he was senior vice president of operations before joining Alaska.
As a pilot, Ayer gives back to the community also by flying Angel Flight America patients to their medical treatments.