We don’t do interviews often at The Air Show, but when we do, we make sure it’s someone you really want to hear from. This week, we talk to JetBlue President Marty St George. Marty is, as anyone who knows him will agree, a fascinating person to talk to. He did not disappoint. For that reason, we supersized this week’s episode to 49 minutes.
Marty talked a lot about aircraft, because, well, you know that’s what Jon Ostrower is going to ask about. I focused on Marty’s first priorities when coming back to the airline and on how the airline is going to grow in the future. Brian dug into product, loyalty, and whether Marty will now be ruthless in his second stint at the airline.
Thanks to Marty for joining us, and thank you to Accelya for sponsoring this week’s episode. Now, I’m going to tease you all a bit. We have another big interview coming in the near future, so make sure you subscribe…
I haven’t said anything about the Spirit bankruptcy this week, because there’s not much to say. This is a pre-packaged deal where the equity will be wiped out and the airline will emerge pretty quickly. That being said, until it does emerge, there can be some drama if others try to woo the creditors with a better deal. If that happens, then you’ll see me writing. In the meantime, here are a couple of articles where I commented.
What Does Spirit Airlines Bankruptcy Mean for Travelers? – TravelPulse
‘Will Fares Increase?’ We Answer the Top Questions About the Spirit Airlines Bankruptcy – Fodor’s Travel
3 comments on “Marty St George Visits The Air Show + The Spirit Bankruptcy”
Marty seems like a nice guy. He also seems a lot less cocky than Scott Kirby. I’ve ever flown JetBlue, but everyone I know who has, likes JetBlue.
I’m hoping for the A220-500. The 220 has become my favorite narrow body.
Listening to MSG makes me feel the new JetBlue that’s about to emerge is going to be quite successful. I’ve been impressed with what they’ve done so far. The several flights I took in JetBlue have all been early with no problem, quite a contrast from over a year ago. I took them to London then back from Paris. Their LR across the pond made virgin Atlantic seem mediocre. I hope they keep the transatlantic growth going.
Great interview. I love Marty’s passion for the industry, confidence in his team, and the fact that he doesn’t speak with as much of an over-the-top cheerleader/marketing tone as many of the top execs I’ve heard on podcasts; he’s definitely not unfiltered, but it’s not political doublespeak.
Regarding Marty’s point about Islip and Manchester being strong markets for B6 on the basis of flyers submitting FF #s on bookings and in terms of B6’s existing customer base (which makes sense), that might be a good question for future interviews with execs from other companies: “Which of your recently opened stations have performed well despite relatively low numbers of current loyalty members in the station’s catchment areas or on the flights from those stations?”