Our CultureJetBlue’s commitment to customer service begins with our culture. As we began building the airline in 1999, long before our first flight on Feb. 11, 2000, we determined that we wanted JetBlue to be a different kind of company—one that emphasized service first, powered by crewmembers who are passionate, caring and friendly. As every new crewmember learns in orientation, we identify ourselves as a customer service organization first – we just happen to fly airplanes around the country. We are fortunate that of the hundreds of thousands of applications we receive every year, we can choose those special people who naturally identify with our mission of “Bringing Humanity Back to Air Travel.” In 2005, we welcomed more than 1,800 new crewmembers to the JetBlue family, and by year-end, we were 9,250 strong. Crewmembers from all over the country began their new JetBlue careers with a two-day orientation conducted by senior leadership, learning about our goals and values, and getting to know other new crewmembers. We also teach the fundamentals of the airline business, so our crewmembers are familiar with the industry and our business strategy. We encourage crewmembers to make decisions and take action to ensure that our customers enjoy the JetBlue Experience, while protecting the integrity of our business. In orientation, and through ongoing communication with our crewmembers, we emphasize JetBlue’s values as guidelines for their decisions. Our values are:
JetBlue offers crewmembers innovative work environments, including work-from-home opportunities for our Reservation crewmembers, flexible hours, paid training and free uniforms. We offer competitive health benefits and compensation, including opportunities for crewmembers to purchase discounted JetBlue stock, and stock-option plans for FAA-licensed and managerial crewmembers. These elements, based on our values, significantly contribute to a good work environment, which in turn results in JetBlue’s strong brand identity. Perhaps the greatest example of our values in action in 2005 occurred Sept. 21, 2005, when our Flight 292 departed Burbank, CA, bound for New York. Upon take-off, our pilot crew received confirmation that the front landing gear had not retracted fully. Coordinating with the System Operations team at our Forest Hills, NY support center, and in close communication with Southern California airports, the crew of Flight 292 safely landed the aircraft at Los Angeles International Airport. The crew took excellent care of our customers on board that flight, giving frequent updates on the situation and keeping everyone calm and prepared. JetBlue received thousands of emails and calls from people all around the world following the incident, congratulating the crew for their excellent training and professionalism during and after the incident. Our commitment to world-class training is fulfilled by JetBlue University. Crewmembers throughout the organization attend classes on an initial and recurrent basis which teach safety, efficiency, and customer service practices. To sustain the learning environment, JetBlue leaders attend Principles of Leadership, a JetBlue University course that teaches leaders techniques to support our culture. The Principles of Leadership are:
Our determination to create a great environment for our crewmembers has created a true family feeling at JetBlue. When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in September, we mobilized immediately to ensure the safety of our local crewmembers and their families in the affected areas. Every crewmember remained on active payroll while the New Orleans airport remained closed for more than a month, and as soon as their personal situations were stable enough, several crewmembers took temporary assignments at other airports until they could return to their home airport. In addition, the JetBlue Crewmember Crisis Fund, the fund designed to provide financial support for crewmembers and their families in times of need, established a special Katrina Fund for our crewmembers, some of whom lost their homes in the devastation. JetBlue crewmembers donated more than $100,000, which was immediately distributed to JetBlue crewmembers in the area. Crewmembers also stepped up to support the communities affected by Katrina, by volunteering to staff evacuee and first-responder flights. JetBlue crewmembers operated more than dozen support flights, raised thousands of dollars to support the American Red Cross, and donated hundreds of hours of their personal time to ensure the people affected by the hurricane felt safe, secure and on the road to recovery. This outpouring of caring is indicative of the support crewmembers give to each other on a daily basis. Our crewmembers are proud to work at JetBlue, and we are proud of the excellent contribution they make every day to our company’s success. Our challenge will be to scale our culture as we grow; to keep the culture “feeling small” as we expand to new markets and grow. We are confident we will meet this goal, based on the strength of our foundation, the passion of our people, and our investment in their continued success through training and communication. |
