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JETBLUE IN THE PINK. All David Neeleman set out to do when he started JetBlue was create a better Southwest Airlines, reports Chris Woodyard in USA Today. Like Southwest, the two-year-old airline flies just "one type of plane -- Airbus A-320s. And people...buy their tickets on the Internet or from reservation agents." The points of difference include assigned seats...and "live television via satellite at no charge." The result: "While the (airline) industry expects to lose more than $6 billion this year, JetBlue earned $27.6 million in the first half of 2002 on the strength of low operating costs and cheap fares. It has among the highest load factors in the industry -- more than 80 percent of seats filled compared with 72.3 percent for the industry in the first eight months of the year."
The real difference is Neeleman. "David is the king of execution," says Michael Lazarus, JetBlue's chairman. The secret, according to Neeleman himself, is Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). He's not kidding. He has the condition, but refuses to be treated for it because he thinks it provides him with his creative, competitive edge. "If I could take a magic pill that would get rid of it, I wouldn't," he says. He explains that ADD makes him focus on just one interest, while bouncing "from issue to issue like a free neutron." While other people (i.e., his family) is sleeping, he's up and online, looking for airline news, or calling up subordinates. He flies JetBlue "at least once a week," and greets each passenger personally, taking down their comments on cocktail napkins.
JetBlue "is adding 15 planes this year and hiring 1,000 workers at a time when major airlines are slashing fleets and laying off workers." Despite this success, Neeleman supposes he hasn't yet been noticed by other airlines: "I think they think we're another start-up," he says. "But I don't care if they respect me. I could care less. I'm not in this business to gain respect from other airline CEOs." He's not in a mood to celebrate, either, because "a constant fear of failure even in the face of clear success" is "another hallmark of ADD." He warns: "There's no end in sight to the meltdown in the airline industry." Later this week, JetBlue starts service to its 20th destination -- Las Vegas.
Tim Manners, editor
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