Blue Streak: Inside jetBlue, the Upstart that Rocked an Industry [Hardcover]

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover; First Printing edition (November 18, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591840589
• ISBN-13: 978-1591840589
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
  

 

Blue Streak: Inside jetBlue, the Upstart that Rocked an Industry [Hardcover]

 

Consumer Evaluations

Blue Streak: Inside jetBlue, the Upstart That Rocked an Sector, $24.95 US, written by Barbara S. Peterson, is about the history of United States airliners, but alot more particularly a single firm - jetBlue - the most effective discount airline in history.
Barbara C. Peterson does an admirable job of profiling David Neeleman, the somewhat unconventional CEO of jetBlue. We get his family history, tidbits about his upbringing in Brazil and Utah, and some individual anecdotes about both his early consideration deficit disorder and his unabashed missionary work. Peterson then drags out the truth that Neeleman was a third year dropout from the University of Utah and had two kids just before he ever tasted one iota of economic success. But being a college drop-out hasn't hampered Neeleman, who basically followed his hearts want and discovered a way to soar.
Neeleman had a natural gift for numbers, and proved to be terrific at sales. In 1982, he started tracking the possible of the airline industry following delving into a extended article that he identified in the Wall Street Journal. Ultimately Neeleman would back into his opportunity, but only after operating a successful packaged tour small business that suddenly imploded in late 1983 when Hawaii Express declared bankruptcy, and took his expanding agency down in the method. Unable to refund a substantial number of deposits, Neeleman's very first startup was forced into bankruptcy.
From the ashes of that debacle, he formed Morris Air following operating below travel agency CEO June Morris. By the late 80's, June was the 1st female CEO in aviation history, and Morris Air - beneath Neeleman's watch - was a effective airline. At least on paper. The fledgling enterprise existed as a public charter out of Salt Lake, where Morris leased all planes and crews, but they faced competitive disadvantages. Cash handling guidelines were strict, they couldn't accept credit card payments, and they had to maintain all funds in segregated escrow accounts. Their advertising also failed to mention their charter status. This drew the ire of both regulators in Washington D.C. and Alaska Airlines, whose property turf Morris was squeezing.
Needleman dodged controversy, and with the help of Tom Kelly, the hamstrung charter received certification to fly as a totally scheduled airline anywhere in the USA. In spite of this, much less than a year later, Neeleman was stunned when the airline he built from scratch was sold out from under him - to Herb Kelleher's Southwest.
What Neeleman believed of as an opportunity to join forces with Southwest, devolved into a disaster as the two boardroom tribes clashed and had been at every single other people throats. Kelleher fired David and Neeleman retreated to Salt Lake with his expanding loved ones (and $25M) during the Summer of 1994. Neeleman faced a quandary at this point, for Kelleher had tricked David into signing a 5 year No Compete when Southwest absorbed Morris.
To get about this legal straightjacket, he incorporated a compact firm named Open Skies, which sold electronic ticketing and reservations computer software that he'd created even though nurturing Morris. (Neeleman later sold this to HP, and became their ideal client.) Eager to soar again, Neeleman joined a group of Calgary investors that wanted to challenge Air Canada. David believed it was the most effective revenge. He got to launch a further startup, and was well North of Kelleher's legal reach. The new airline christened WestJet launched in 1996. Neeleman felt alive once more, but he was only biding his time.
When the No Compete expired, David worked the phones and started talking up investors. He'd assembled a "Dream Team" in his thoughts. He'd meld executives from Kelleher's Southwest and Branson's Virgin into a cohesive entire. Southwest considering that he had a thing to prove to Kelleher, and Virgin for the reason that they had a very robust name brand. Neeleman had that familiar startup itch, and he had to scratch it. He'd been formulating his strategy though he sat on the sidelines those 5 years, and he was prepared to shake almost everything up. And thus jetBlue was hatched.
I honestly enjoyed this a single Barbara, a great read!
The Book:
Blue Streak: Inside jetBlue, the Upstart That Rocked an Market,
Portfolio Hardcover 2005
(Portfolio, a business enterprise imprint of Penguin)
Pages:
233 Pages
262 Pages including the epilogue and endnotes.
Rating:
four Stars
Chapter Titles:
01. Flying Residence
02. Adore Field
03. The Virgins
04. Building Blue
05. Paper Airline
06. Air Born
07. 9/11
08. Blue Envy
09. jetblue u
10. welcome to my world
If You Like Blue Streak You Might possibly Take pleasure in:
Flying High
No Frills
Ryanair
Flying Off Course
Simpli-Flying
Visit the Official Internet websites:
www.penguin.com

A Evaluation of Blue Streak - Inside JetBlue, the Upstart That Rocked an Sector by Barbara S. Peterson
I knew that JetBlue was anything special from the feedback I was hearing from buddies and family members who had flown them. I began to realize how the upstart airline had achieved that achievement when I had a likelihood to meet the Founder, David Neeleman final year when he spoke at Harvard Business School. As I heard him speak, and then later when I had a chance to engage with him 1-on-one, I sensed beneath the smooth and polished executive exterior a private warmth and passion that embodies the vision of JetBlue - to develop a low cost airline that delivers superior service and treats its consumers and staff alike as persons of worth.
Neeleman loves to tell the story of an encounter with a Delta flight attendant who accosted him and accused him of: "stealing all the good passengers." His retort: "No, they are the intelligent passenger they know we'll treat them fair and give them a fair deal."
Barbara Peterson tells the story of the gestation and birth of JetBlue from the inside out. An seasoned travel writer, she involved herself in the lives of the JetBlue leaders and immersed herself in the JetBlue experience to try to clarify to herself and her readers why so countless people have "drunk the blue Kool-help"!
One particular of the most gripping stories that encapsulates significantly of what tends to make JetBlue special in the airline market is the story of how JetBlue personnel at New York's Kennedy Airport responded to the unfolding events on 9/11/2001.
"Doreen Lawrence, head of in-flight, was driving west on the Grand Central Parkway when the news came over the radio. She was heading toward Connecticut with Brian Manubay, an in-flight manager. . . They had been halfway across the Whitestone Bridge to the Bronx when they realized they had to get to JFK quickly. . . They got to the airport ten minutes later, just just before all access to the airfield was closed off. The identified Terminal Six packed with passengers, a number of of whom were not holding tickets on JetBlue flights but, rather, had been expelled from other terminals. Most airlines had shut the doors to their terminals so following the attacks on the assistance of the Prot authority, which was acting prudently - who knew if other attackers had been still at massive? Several strandees told Manubay that a rumor had circulated at the airport that "if you go to JetBlue, they'll assist you."
. . . An hour later, the Port Authority told JetBlue it, as well, had to evacuate its terminal. Lawrence and Manubay created an announcement: All present, no matter whose client they were, could go with them to a nearby airport motel, where they could stay till they had someplace else to go. For the subsequent 3 days, the JetBlue pair slept on cots in the ballroom of a nearby Finest Western, with hundreds of displaced fliers no a single, it seemed, could get out.
Lawrence had not necessary to check with her superiors to approve this act of charity early in the day Neeleman and Barger [Dave Barger, JetBlue President] had told everyone from the field who called in that they must just follow their conscience and no questions would ever be raised about the expense.
There had been lighter moments as well. Al Spain [JetBlue's Chief Pilot], who was in Toronto at a meeting of airline safety directors the morning of the eleventh, had gotten back to New York by renting a auto and driving nonstop for twenty hours. When he arrived in Queens, he'd gone to the airport to lend a hand. There had been so a large number of diverse passengers beneath JetBlue's wing at that point, he recalled, that they lastly secured space in a motel some miles away for a tour group that was due to fly back to Europe on Delta as soon as service was restored. Their luggage was back at the airport, and so that they could have a adjust of clothes, Lawrence handed out JetBlue T-shirts to everyone. "So envision how Delta feels when they see this huge group show up in JetBlue T-shirts simply because we - not they - took care of their passengers," Spain recalled (pages 143,144)
That is the kind of buyer service that earns lifelong loyalty. I can't wait to fasten my seat belt and taste the JetBlue experience.

Related Product

The Southwest Airlines Way [Paperback]