Marketing Times - December 2007/January 2008 - (Page 7)

Also during this period, David acted as a consultant to WestJet Airlines, the successful Canadian lowfare start-up airline. In 1999, after the conclusion of his five-year noncompete agreement with Southwest Airlines, David decided the time was right to bring his successful airline formula – innovative, high quality service plus low fares equals a strong and loyal market – to one of the country’s largest aviation markets, New York City by creating JetBlue Airways. He assembled a hand-picked management team of airline industry veterans and secured $130 million in capital funding from investors such as Weston Presidio Capital, George Soros and Chase Capital, now JP Morgan. JetBlue began operations in February, 2000 from its base at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and now, more than seven years later, serves 54 destinations across the U.S and the Caribbean. By the end of 2007, JetBlue will operate a fleet of 105 Airbus A320 aircraft and 30 EMBRAER 190 aircraft. JetBlue this year was ranked Top Low Cost Airline for Customer Satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates and was also ranked Best Airline by Consumer Reports. During an interview at the SMEI Boston event, Neeleman was vocal about sustainable energy, especially in relation to the airline industry. His unconventional business strategy, while sometimes meeting with criticism, has proven successful over the long term for JetBlue. Neeleman opened up in the interview about his strong family values and personal faith as contributors to his personal success. When we posed a question about choosing between customer and shareholder interests when making decisions, Neeleman quickly responded “Look after your employees. If you take care of your employees first, they will look after the customers and the customers will look after the shareholders.” 2007 SMEI Academy of Achievement Pinnacle Award Honoree 7 7 marketingtimes marketingtimes

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Marketing Times - December 2007/January 2008

SMEI Certified Professional Salesperson Certified Sales Executives Certified Marketing Executives Marketing Times - December 2007/January 2008 Contents Chairman's Report An Interview with David Neeleman Founder & Chairman of Jetblue Airlines President's Message Integrated Marketing in the Digital Economy Professional Certification Class of 2007 Marketing Tips SMEI and Puerto Rico Affiliate Partner for Certification Success Selling Skills Why all Star Teams Fail

Marketing Times - December 2007/January 2008

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