JetBlue Airways: Starting From Scratch
Troy Thorpe
WGU

JetBlue Airways: Starting from Scratch
Before David Neeleman’s non-compete agreement with Southwest Airlines expired, he envisioned the concept of starting a low-fare airline that would combine common sense, innovation, and technology and bring the humanity back into air travel (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). In 1998, JetBlue was born. In order for David to fulfill his goal of a “do-it-right” kind of airline, he needed to recruit superior industry veterans who were willing to start from scratch and place an emphasis on employees and customers. Each of these individuals, from the President, General Counsel, CFO, and the HR director, wanted to create an airline that was fun, had …show more content…

Many people wanted to work for JetBlue, but many would be denied because they were not a perfect fit in regards to the five core values of JetBlue, and some new hires were even let go because they didn’t live up to the values set forth by JetBlue’s management team (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001).
The Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Amended in 1978 and 1986, are two acts that deal with age. The Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act deals with the retirement age of pilots who fly commercially for all American airlines (Federal Aviation Administration [FAA], 2007). As stated in the act, pilots who fly domestic flights can fly until their 65th birthday. If they are international flight pilots, only one pilot can be up to 65 while the other flight crew member must be below 60 years of age. This law was enacted because so many pilots were reaching retirement age and new pilots were becoming scarce. Congress took it upon themselves to write the Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots act so that pilots who were close to the retirement age of 60 years old could continue to fly for another five years. This was backed up by medical professionals who stated that there was only a slight risk in health issues by allowing these pilots to continue to fly five more years.