The Walker Webcast David Neeleman, Founder and CEO of Breeze Airways
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Oct 30, 2025 David Neeleman, a serial airline entrepreneur and founder of Breeze Airways, shares his unique journey from working in his grandfather's grocery store to revolutionizing air travel. He discusses his commitment to customer experience, inspired by personal incidents at JetBlue, and the innovative approach that Breeze adopts in selecting routes. David explains the strategic choice of aircraft and how transparent pricing models enhance customer trust. With a focus on technology and ongoing improvements, he emphasizes the importance of balancing visionary ideas with effective execution.
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Morris Air Pioneered E‑Ticketing
- Neeleman explained Morris Air was the first airline to implement e‑ticketing because he kept losing physical tickets.
- He had a programmer build a reservation system using relational databases and removed paper tickets entirely.
Mission In Brazil Shaped Azul Ambition
- Neeleman recounted relearning Portuguese during an LDS mission in Brazil, which helped him later found Azul.
- The mission gave him confidence, leadership experience and a desire to lift Brazilians out of poverty via air service.
Why Leather Seats Became Nonnegotiable
- David Neeleman described sitting in a urine-soaked airplane seat and being given only a blanket or to deplane.
- That experience motivated him to install leather (then pleather) seats to prevent passengers suffering similar indignities.