5X Airline Founder David Neeleman on Building Ambitious, Customer-Obsessed Airlines - EP.260

My guest today on Think Like an Owner, David Neeleman, I'd argue is the most accomplished entrepreneur in aviation. David has founded five airlines: Morris Air (sold to Southwest), WestJet, JetBlue, Azul, and now Breeze Airways. Not to mention starting the first online reservation software platform, Open Skies.

David has built transformative companies across three different countries and reshaped the industry at every step.

Given my work at Airframe Group focusing on aviation service companies, I wanted to understand the core principles that drive his success.

We explore how he approaches founding and scaling airlines, the nuances of customer service across different markets, and why hiring great people is his most consistent strategy for building lasting companies.

David was kind enough to host me at his SLC office for the podcast and a tour, and a quick photo op.

Check out the episode on iTunes or Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

7 key takeaways from the episode:

1. Everything is downstream of hiring great people and delighting your customers, who will then use your company more often and tell their friends.

2. Customers expect more self-service options today, and contacting customer service today is considered an interface failure.

3. Two business axioms: 1) stick to what works and don’t change; 2) business is dynamic and should evolve. Be the second kind.

4. Build around expanding markets. Good service and pricing can accelerate expansion.

5. On communication, too much overkill is never enough.

6. Team-wide communication as CEO towards a national team has evolved towards video calls rather than email as a primary channel.

7. Eliminate steps and simplify client experience wherever possible.

We’re also on YouTube now! Check out the channel here.