Federal Aviation Administration chief of operations Russell Chew today takes on the role of chief operating officer at JetBlue. The carrier's president, Dave Barger, has dropped COO from his previously dual title as Chew takes on the role.
A mid-February winter storm that slammed its hub at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City led the carrier to cancel more than 1,000 flights after causing severe operational problems affecting more than 100,000 customers
(BTN, March 5). A JetBlue spokesperson said the creation of a stand-alone COO position had been in the works before the carrier's service snafu. However, the spokesperson said, "The events of Feb. 14 through Feb. 19 reiterated the fact that we need to focus on getting someone in that role as we continue to grow. It became even more evident that we needed to create this position."
As the airline continues to take steps to mend its bruised reputation, Chew will take on all operational responsibilities, including the "operations of 550 daily flights to 50 cities in six countries" as well as "leading JetBlue's airports, operational planning, system operations center, flight operations, technical operations, inflight service and safety departments."
JetBlue touted Chew's pedigree as an airline industry operational efficiency expert. Prior to a four-year stint as FAA COO, Chew spent 17 years at American Airlines, including serving as managing director of its System Operations Center and in other operations and planning functions. Chew reports directly to Barger.
"We are excited to have Russ join JetBlue's executive leadership team, with his experience managing the system operations center for the world's largest airline, and also overseeing the world's most heavily traveled air system as COO of the FAA," Barger this month said in a statement.
"As our airline grows into new markets, it is even more important to keep one eye on the future while making sure today's customers and our crewmembers are well-served with reliable and comfortable flights, the foundation of the JetBlue experience," Barger said.
With Chew taking the lead on operations, JetBlue is seeking to thwart a repeat of the severe service disruptions. JetBlue this month released traffic statistics for the month of February, showing a dismal 57.5 percent on-time performance for the month and a completion factor of only 90.9 percent.
"Preliminary PRASM for the month decreased 4 percent year over year, which includes the financial impact of the storm,'' said JetBlue CEO David Neeleman in a statement.
In response to the service disruptions, JetBlue released what it dubbed a Customer Bill of Rights—a document of promises and monetary compensation that goes beyond current federal requirements to offer customers on canceled flights full refunds or reaccommodation as well as vouchers for future travel.