# JetBlue Airways: David Neeleman

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2019-02-04
- Length: 1h 08m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-02-04-jetblue-airways-david-neeleman

## Summary

David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue and Azul, recounts his journey from a failed travel startup and a stint at Southwest Airlines to launching JetBlue with a focus on customer service and the Airbus A320. He details the operational failure during the 2007 Valentine's Day ice storm that led to his ouster as CEO, and his subsequent return to Brazil to build Azul into a major carrier. The episode also covers Lisa Dalton’s creation of Can Doable, braille labels for blind consumers, born from a personal relationship mishap.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-02-04-jetblue-airways-david-neeleman#t=0) Introduction: David Neeleman and the Vision for JetBlue
- [3:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-02-04-jetblue-airways-david-neeleman#t=194) Early Life, Mission in Brazil, and First Business Failures
- [14:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-02-04-jetblue-airways-david-neeleman#t=866) Building Morris Air and the Southwest Acquisition
- [34:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-02-04-jetblue-airways-david-neeleman#t=2058) The Southwest Non-Compete and the Reservation System Startup
- [37:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-02-04-jetblue-airways-david-neeleman#t=2274) Founding JetBlue: Strategy, Airbus A320s, and Culture
- [50:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-02-04-jetblue-airways-david-neeleman#t=3029) The 2007 Ice Storm Crisis and Ouster as CEO
- [56:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-02-04-jetblue-airways-david-neeleman#t=3374) Launching Azul in Brazil and Leadership Philosophy
- [1:04:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-02-04-jetblue-airways-david-neeleman#t=3894) Postscript: Lisa Dalton and Can Doable Braille Labels

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up, early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- JetBlue (company)
- Southwest Airlines (company)
- Morris Air (company)
- Airbus (company)
- Boeing (company)
- Azul (company)
- Airbus A320 (product)
- Boeing 737 (product)
- Can Doable (product)
- HP Hilo Packard (company)
- Hawaii Express (company)
- Pacific East (company)
- Virgin America (company)
- Richard Branson (other)
- Herb Kelleher (other)
- Lisa Dalton (other)
- Brian (other)

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- [A Baseball Startup with Paul Freedman and Bryan Carmel](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2024-04-17-a-baseball-startup-with-paul-freedman-and-bryan-carmel) (Oxide and Friends)
- [#175 - E-Comm Wizards:  David Fudge of Aplós](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2024-12-24-175-e-comm-wizards-david-fudge-of-aplos) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Tune in for Season 3 of Moore's Lobby](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-08-19-tune-in-for-season-3-of-moores-lobby) (Moore's Lobby)
- [Founder + Funder: Fundraising, Founder-Investor Fit, and Building the Next Big Breakfast Brand with Emily Groden of Evergreen and Brian Bernstein of Rich Products Ventures](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-06-20-founder-funder-fundraising-founder-investor-fit-and-building-the-next-big-breakf) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-02-04-jetblue-airways-david-neeleman. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.