Intro
When most people think about specific airlines, they think of companies such as United and American. Very few will say JetBlue. JetBlue started from scratch in 1999 and has since become one of the most successful airlines to date. JetBlue has many strengths that set it apart from its competitors. That is exactly what JetBlue and founder David Neeleman wanted from the very start, to be unique and provide its customers with a flying experience for them to remember and more importantly, keep them coming back. Staying alive in the airline world is easier said than done though. Out of all the airlines that were started in the 1980's, only two remain in business today. JetBlue was able to start with a good sized budget and find a great management team with experience in the industry. The company made all the right decisions from which planes to buy, technological decisions, funds, as well as location decisions. All the company needed was a few planes and gate openings to get things going. From there, JetBlue's customer and employee friendly environment as well as its critical decision making have made the company prosper. New planes, profits, and new employees are coming in fast, maybe even too fast.
Problem
Now that JetBlue has established itself in the airline industry, the company needs to ensure that it stays there while it continues to achieve rapid growth. The airline business has proven to be one of the hardest industries to stay alive in, no matter the airline. Recent struggles by companies such as United have proven that. To JetBlue though, being successful not only means being profitable and staying in business, but maintaining a “values based, high commitment organizational culture” (1) as well. The company feels that ...