Can We Trust JetBlue?

ìWhat you do has far greater impact than anything you say. You just canít talk your way out of problems you behave yourself into, and JetBlue just behaved themselves into a doozy,î notes leadership authority, Stephen M. R. Covey, author of The Speed of Trust. The truth is you can behave yourself out of problems and that is just what JetBlueís CEO, David Neeleman, is doing. ìJetBlue has earned the benefit-of-the-doubt on issues of customer service based on their track record and credibility. I am aware of at least one occasion where Neeleman personally drove to the New York Kennedy airport and checked passengers in on his own laptop,î notes Covey. ìInterestingly,î adds Covey, ìJetBlue is being held to a higher standard because of their reputation and outstanding customer service record.î BusinessWeek reported JetBlue’s average delay between February 13 and 15 was 230 minutes based on FlightStats, a travel data company, while Delta Air Lines’!
average was 205 minutes and American Airlines’ was at 202.î

To pull off this service recovery, JetBlue must execute at an operational level and prevent this from happening again. Further, since not even the successful Neeeleman can control the weather, he is training his HQ staff to be able to help at the JFK terminal if such a situation arises again. Regaining the trust of the significant number of customers affected by this will take some doing. Neeleman has stepped up for his part. David Letterman told Barbara Walters, who preceded David Neeleman as his guest, We’ll make him wait for a change.î Neeleman went on and told Lettermanís audience he promised his airline would do better. Neeleman told CNN American Morning that ìits not really what happens to you but how you react to it.î

ìIn the face of the embarrassment of the one who vowed to ëbring humanity back to air travel,í David Neeleman is exhibiting the behaviors common to high trust leaders around the world,î states Covey. ìHe is talking straight and confronting the reality of the situation while holding himself accountable for the impact on his customers. He is attempting to right the wrongs and is leading out with a customer bill of rights that really holds JetBlue accountable for their customer experience. They are signaling their future behavior with these moves, and this should help them to restore trust with their customers. I define leadership as getting results in a way that inspires trust. I expect this will prove to be another example of a trusted leader demonstrating by his actions that he and his airline deserve their customersí trust.î