JetBlue Airlines 2003 Annual Report Download

20APR200409520546
Dear Fellow Stockholders:
JetBlue has turned the airline industry upside-down. We set out with the revolutionary idea to
create an airline that would treat customers with humanity and provide everyone with high-quality
service at affordable fares. We also aspired to build a company with a positive environment where
crewmembers would feel respected and excited to come to work every day. In just four short years, we
have accomplished all this and so much more. 2003 was another year of continued success for our
company, built from the ground up by our outstanding crewmembers to deliver an exceptional customer
experience.
At JetBlue, we live by our belief in the 3 P’s: great people drive solid performance which
generates prosperity for all. This, in fact, is exactly what took place in 2003 as we carried over
nine million customers across our route system.
At the heart of our company is a conviction that the airline business is fundamentally one of
customer service. As such, our crewmembers work hard to exceed expectations on every flight. Our job
is to ‘‘get it right’’ every step of the way, from the initial reservation booking with our friendly home-
based Reservation team or via www.jetblue.com, to the efficient delivery of the last bag at the
customer’s destination by our Customer Service team. Our Inflight Crew, Pilots, Technicians and
everyone else working to support our front-line crewmembers are central to delivering ‘‘the JetBlue
experience’’.
For the second year in a row, JetBlue was voted the number one domestic airline in the Conde
Nast Traveler 2003 Readers’ Choice Awards. Further, we were named the number one airline in the
annual Airline Quality Rating survey published by the University of Nebraska and Wichita State
University, based on the strength of our operating metrics reported to the Department of
Transportation (DOT).
Our operational results were outstanding this year, as we focused on the basic ‘‘blocking and
tackling’’. Compared to the major U.S. airlines we ranked number one in completion factor, with
99.5% of our scheduled flights flown. We placed second in on-time performance, with 84.3% of our
flights arriving on-time. Our incidence of delayed, mishandled or lost baggage was 3.21 per 1,000
customers, the third lowest compared to major airlines. Our rate of customer complaints to the DOT
was 0.31 per 100,000 customers, the third lowest. Lastly, we ranked first in denied boardings, with a
total of zero, as we don’t overbook customers.
The focus on taking care of the customer remains the key reason JetBlue experienced the highest
load factor among major airlines at 84.5%. And, over 1.3 million members have now enrolled in
TrueBlue, our customer loyalty program. As you can see in this year’s online annual report, we have
included several letters from valued customers who were eager to share their ‘‘JetBlue experience’’.
We know that to be extraordinary on the outside we must first be extraordinary on the inside. As
such, our crewmembers are the key to delivering our outstanding customer service. Our exceptional
team, numbering 6,000+ strong, operates each day in accordance with our values: Safety, Caring,
Integrity, Fun and Passion. Our team handled close to 70,000 flights in 2003, with a remarkable total of
only six maintenance-related cancellations. Together we rose to the challenge posed by events such as
the President’s Day snowstorm and East coast blackout and our team performed magnificently.