Value Is the New Green†

Wall Street Journal, March 13, 2009 — Until recently, being green was the best way for companies to demonstrate a sense of social responsibility, and for consumers to feel good about their purchases. Healthy food, hybrid cars, energy efficiency — these were the attributes that burnished brands.

But now green is taking a back seat to a new core value — value. Green hasn't gone away, but companies are having to consider their "value" equation to try to serve the millions of consumers who either can't afford premium experiences, or just don't want them anymore.

Changing the Course of JetBlue†

New CEO Dave Barger Reviews Discount Carrier's Strategy, Seeks Calmer Approach to Growth

Wall Street Journal, June 21, 2007 — For nine years at JetBlue Airways Corp., Dave Barger played the quiet No. 2 executive to David Neeleman, the discount carrier's passionate, high-profile founder and chief executive. Now, the reserved Mr. Barger is manning the controls when the airline most needs a steady hand.

Brands Americans Embrace

Forbes, April 30, 2007 — JetBlue Chief Executive David Neeleman has always been known as a guy who obsesses over customer service. Not only has that strategy differentiated his carrier in a largely commoditized airline industry, it's gone a long way toward gaining some slack when it does mess up. Despite February's much publicized fiasco that had customers in New York stranded on its planes for hours during an ice storm, JetBlue still ranks as Americans' favorite airline.

JetBlue Rides Out the Turbulence†

Brandweek, February 22, 2007 — The customer bill of rights and the $30 million that JetBlue Airways will hand out in vouchers and expenses related to last week’s operations meltdown could deliver more impact than any marketing executed by the seven-year-old airline. Or the new policy’s downside is it creates an entitlement that would make profitability even more elusive.

JetBlue’s C.E.O. Is ‘Mortified’ After Fliers Are Stranded

New York Times, February 19, 2007 — The founder and chief executive of JetBlue Airways, his voice cracking at times, called himself “humiliated and mortified” by a huge breakdown in the airline’s operations that has dragged on for nearly a week, and promised that in the future JetBlue would pay penalties to customers if they were stranded on a plane for too long.