Masters of Scale

Rapid Response: Balancing data with gut feeling, w/JetBlue's Joanna Geraghty

Nov 25, 2020

Joanna Geraghty, President and COO of JetBlue, shares her journey navigating the airline through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. She discusses how the airline adapted by prioritizing data while also trusting her instincts, exemplified by the controversial decision to reopen middle seats. Geraghty highlights inspiring stories of frontline staff and the innovative 'Lobatical' benefit aimed at enhancing employee appreciation. She reflects on the unique agility smaller airlines have compared to larger carriers, showcasing resilience and a commitment to adapting in a shifting landscape.

32:31

Episode guests

Joanna Geraghty

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Navigating Challenges: JetBlue's Response to COVID-19

12min

Navigating Airline Challenges and Employee Appreciation

2min

Navigating the Middle Seat Dilemma in Aviation

3min

Navigating Crisis: The Smaller Airline Advantage

15min

From Vision to Reality: Building a Plant-Based Dream

3min

After record-shattering drops in revenue from Covid-19, JetBlue had to rethink every plan and every assumption. Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue's president and chief operating officer, shares how the airline built a new system for flexing the business, to ramp up only when demand rises, deploying cost cuts but no furloughs. As airlines grapple with a new global infection surge, Geraghty says her decisions rely on new types of data as well as gut feeling – from re-opening middle seats starting in January 2021 to expanding flights to London. The volume of choices Geraghty has to make and the uncertainty around the risks are dizzying. But despite the challenges, she says, JetBlue is rising up.

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