David G. Neeleman

Background

Neeleman was born on October 16, 1959, in São Paulo, Brazil, while his father, Gary Neeleman, worked there as a foreign correspondent. He lived in Brazil until he was five, when his family returned to Utah. His early connection with Brazil later remained important in his professional life, particularly through his work with Azul Brazilian Airlines.

As a young man, Neeleman served as a missionary in Brazil for about two years and became fluent in Portuguese. His family background linked Utah with international journalism and Brazilian experience: his father later became a senior United Press International executive covering Central and South America.

Education

Neeleman attended the University of Utah for approximately three years, studying general education and accounting. The university, founded in 1850 in Salt Lake City, is Utah's flagship public research institution and has long connected professional education with the region's expanding business and technology sectors.

His university studies were followed by work in travel services and airline management rather than a completed degree. The combination of business study and practical experience in Utah's travel industry preceded his entry into airline entrepreneurship.

Career

Neeleman began his aviation-related career in Utah travel services. From approximately 1980 to 1983 he was president of Ifs, a Utah-owned travel agency. In 1984 he co-founded Morris Air with June Morris and served as executive vice president until 1988, then as president from 1988 to 1994. Morris Air was a low-fare carrier based in Salt Lake City; under his leadership it introduced electronic ticketing and a home-based reservation system, innovations that later influenced JetBlue's customer-service model.

After Southwest Airlines acquired Morris Air in 1993 for approximately $130 million, Neeleman joined Southwest's Executive Planning Committee in 1994. He left after about five months and became chief executive officer of Open Skies, an airline reservation and check-in systems company, from 1995 to 1998. During the same period he helped establish WestJet in Canada and served on its board from 1996 to 1999.

Neeleman founded JetBlue Airways in 1998 under the name NewAir, and the airline began operations in 2000. He served as chief executive officer from 1998 to 2007 and as chairman from 1998 to 2008. JetBlue's low-fare model combined simplified operations with features such as satellite television and a reservation system staffed partly by employees working from home. He was replaced as chief executive by David Barger in May 2007 and later left the chairmanship.

In 2008 Neeleman founded Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras, known internationally as Azul Brazilian Airlines, and served as its chief executive officer until 2017. He has remained chairman of Azul's board. The airline was created as a domestic Brazilian carrier intended to expand service to cities with limited air connections. In 2015 he became an investor, director, and shareholder in TAP Air Portugal through the Atlantic Gateway consortium; his direct and indirect interest was sold when TAP was renationalized in 2020.

Neeleman founded Breeze Aviation Group, now Breeze Airways, in 2017 and serves as its chief executive officer and chairman. Breeze is a United States low-cost carrier focused on nonstop service between underserved and secondary markets. His career across five airlines has centered on launching carriers, applying technology to reservations and customer service, and developing lower-cost alternatives to established airlines.

Achievements

• Neeleman co-founded Morris Air and helped introduce electronic ticketing and home-based reservations, innovations that became important features of later airline customer-service systems.

• He founded or co-founded five commercial airlines: Morris Air, WestJet, JetBlue Airways, Azul Brazilian Airlines, and Breeze Airways.

• He developed low-fare airline models in multiple national markets, including the United States, Canada, and Brazil, while expanding service through technology and secondary-market routes.

Religion

Neeleman is associated with Mormonism, the religious tradition of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served as a missionary in Brazil for approximately two years during his youth, an experience that strengthened his Portuguese and maintained a connection with the country where he was born.

The Latter-day Saint tradition combines Christian belief in Jesus Christ with distinctive teachings concerning continuing revelation, family life, service, and missionary work. Its emphasis on lay participation and organized missionary activity formed part of the religious environment in which Neeleman developed his connection with Brazil and Utah.

Views

Neeleman's documented business philosophy emphasizes customer service, practical innovation, and the belief that companies should make air travel more accessible. His public comments also stress resilience after professional setbacks and the importance of building organizations around employees' ability to serve customers well.

Quotations: "Pleasing the customer was more important than pleasing the chief executive."

Personality

Neeleman has publicly emphasized customer service, practical innovation, and the importance of creating a company culture in which employees and customers are treated with care. His management philosophy has been associated with experimentation in airline technology and with seeking opportunities in underserved markets.

Quotes from others about the person

• Neeleman has said that when he led JetBlue he sometimes sat in the last row in a seat that did not recline to emphasize that pleasing customers mattered more than pleasing the chief executive. He has also expressed the view that setbacks can create new opportunities, a perspective reflected in his later founding of Azul and Breeze after leaving JetBlue.

Connections

Neeleman married Vicki Vranes in 1981. They have been described as having a large family, including ten children. His parents were Gary Neeleman, an international journalist and United Press International executive, and Rose Neeleman.

Father:

Gary Neeleman

Gary Neeleman was an international journalist and United Press International executive who worked as a foreign correspondent in Brazil.

Mother:

Rose Neeleman

Rose Neeleman is the mother of David Neeleman and was part of a Utah-based family connected with international journalism.

Wife:

Vicki Vranes

Neeleman's spouse; they married in 1981.

References

• Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras — Administration Documents Neeleman's Brazilian and United States citizenship, his founding of Azul, his role as chairman, and his earlier leadership of JetBlue and Morris Air.
• David Eccles School of Business announces 2019 Hall of Fame inductees Describes Neeleman's founding of Morris Air, WestJet, JetBlue, and Azul and his airline innovations, including electronic ticketing, in-flight programming, and home-based reservation work.
  2019
• Tony Jannus Award — Past Recipient Archive Identifies Neeleman as the 2005 Tony Jannus Award recipient and describes his leadership roles at JetBlue and Azul.
• David Neeleman Resume submitted to the U.S. Department of Transportation Provides a chronology of Neeleman's positions with IFS, Morris Air, Southwest Airlines, Open Skies, JetBlue, Azul, TAP Air Portugal, and Breeze Aviation Group.
  2020
• Utah Alumni: David Neeleman Identifies Neeleman as a University of Utah alumnus and summarizes his founding of Morris Air, JetBlue, and Azul.