David Neeleman | |
---|---|
![]() Neeleman in 2015 | |
Born | São Paulo, Brazil | October 16, 1959
Citizenship |
|
Occupation(s) | Chairman of Azul Brazilian Airlines CEO of Breeze Airways |
Known for | Commercial airline entrepreneur |
Spouse | Vicki Vranes (m. 1980;div. 2013) |
Children | 10 |
Relatives |
|
David Gary Neeleman (born October 16, 1959) is a Brazilian-American businessman and entrepreneur. He has founded five commercial airlines: Morris Air, WestJet, JetBlue Airways, Azul Brazilian Airlines, and Breeze Airways. Along with Humberto Pedrosa and Aigle Azur, he owned 45% of TAP Air Portugal. [3] In 2017 he became a citizen of Cyprus. [4]
Neeleman was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and raised in Sandy, Utah. [5] He lived in Brazil until he was five. [6]
His grandfather John Neeleman was born in Utah to Dutch immigrants and owned nine convenience stores. [7]
He co-founded (with June Morris) Morris Air, a low-fare charter airline, and from 1984 to 1988, he was the executive vice president of the company.
In 1988, Neeleman assumed the helm of Morris Air as its president. In 1993, when Morris Air was acquired by Southwest Airlines for $130 million (Neeleman received $25 million from the sale), he worked for five months on their Executive Planning Committee. [8]
After leaving Southwest, Neeleman became the CEO of Open Skies, a touch screen reservation and check-in systems company, later acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 1999. At the same time, he helped to found two new airlines, WestJet and NewAir, which later became JetBlue. [9]
As the CEO of JetBlue Airways, his 2002 salary was $200,000 with a bonus of $90,000. Neeleman donated his entire salary to the JetBlue Crewmember Crisis Fund, which was established for JetBlue employees who had fallen on hard times. [10]
On May 10, 2007, Neeleman was replaced by David Barger as CEO of JetBlue [11] and, on May 21, 2008, he was replaced as chairman of the board by Joel Peterson. [12]
On March 27, 2008, Neeleman officially announced plans to launch a new airline, Azul (Portuguese for "blue"), a domestic carrier in Brazil. Azul completed 2013 with over 5 Billion (BRL) in sales and is currently Brazil's largest airline.
On October 30, 2013, Neeleman and his youngest brother, Mark James Neeleman, a co-founder of Azul, [13] announced the launch of a new company, Vigzul, a home security and monitoring company. Vigzul came from an idea of Mark Neeleman and was founded by David Allred, Brett Chambers and Neeleman serves as chairman of the board and principal investor. [14] [15]
In June 2015, the Portuguese Government decided to sell the TAP Air Portugal Group, owner of the national air carrier, TAP Air Portugal, to Atlantic Gateway, a joint venture of venture between Neeleman and Portuguese entrepreneur Humberto Pedrosa; Atlantic Gateway took control of 61% of the capital of the Portuguese carrier, and promised to maintain Brazil as the airline's main hub for a minimum of 30 years. In July 2020 the Portuguese state increased its stake to 72.5 %. It acquired this stake from Atlantic Gateway, which now holds 22.5%.[ citation needed ]
In June 2018, he announced plans for a new US airline called Breeze Airways for which he raised $100m capital. [16]
On July 17, 2018, Breeze Airways signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus for 60 A220-300 aircraft to be delivered beginning in 2021. [17]
Neeleman was a critic of COVID-19 lockdowns. In 2020, he funded a study by John Ioannidis to estimate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Santa Clara County, California. Ioannidis, a physician and Stanford University professor, was also a prominent opponent of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ioannidis did not initially disclose his funding from Neeleman, thus creating a potential conflict of interest.[ why? ] [18] [19]
Neeleman, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, served a two-year mission in Brazil when he was 19. [20] He has been diagnosed with ADHD. [21] He is the father of 10 children with his former wife, Vicki Vranes. [22] [23] [24] The couple has since divorced. [25] [26]
His brother, Stephen Neeleman, a general and trauma surgeon, [27] was one of the founders of the American health care company HealthEquity. His nephew by his sister, Lisa, is Denver Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson. [21] His son, Daniel Neeleman, and daughter-in-law, Hannah Neeleman, run the social media account Ballerina Farm. [28]
Neeleman was the 2005 recipient of the Tony Jannus Award for his contributions in the commercial aviation industry. [29] He speaks fluent Portuguese and holds citizenships of Brazil, U.S. and Cyprus. [30]
airBaltic, legally incorporated as AS Air Baltic Corporation, is the flag carrier of Latvia, with its head office on the grounds of Riga International Airport in Mārupe municipality near Riga. Its main hub is Riga, and it operates bases in Tallinn, Vilnius, Tampere and a seasonal base in Las Palmas launched in 2023. It is 97% owned by the Government of Latvia. It operates flights solely on Airbus A220 planes. It operates a frequent-flyer program and a buy on board menu offering food and drinks for purchase.
JetBlue Airways Corporation is a major airline in the United States. Its headquarters is in Long Island City, in Queens, New York City. It also maintains corporate offices in Utah and Florida.
Aigle Azur was a French airline based and headquartered at Paris Orly Airport. The airline operated scheduled flights from France to 21 destinations across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, with a fleet of Airbus A320 family and A330 aircraft. The airline filed for bankruptcy and was placed in receivership on 2 September 2019. Takeover bids were received, but none proved viable and the airline was liquidated by the court on 27 September 2019.
The Airbus A220 is a family of five-abreast narrow-body airliners by Airbus Canada Limited Partnership (ACLP). It was originally developed by Bombardier Aviation and had two years in service as the Bombardier CSeries. The program was launched on 13 July 2008. The smaller A220-100 made its maiden flight on 16 September 2013, received an initial type certificate from Transport Canada on 18 December 2015, and entered service on 15 July 2016 with launch operator Swiss Global Air Lines. The longer A220-300 first flew on 27 February 2015, received an initial type certificate on 11 July 2016, and entered service with airBaltic on 14 December 2016.
EuroAtlantic Airways, legally EuroAtlantic Airways – Transportes Aéreos S.A., is a Portuguese Charter ACMI airline specialized in leasing and air charter headquartered in Carnaxide and based at Lisbon Airport.
Synergy Group Corp. is a South American conglomerate created and owned by Germán Efromovich. The group is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It operates several airlines in South America, among which are Avianca Group, with a 66.66% stake, and is active in the exploration of oil and natural gas throughout the region. Additionally, it operates hydroelectric power plants, participates in the construction of telecommunications infrastructure, shipbuilding and technical inspections, radiochemistry, radiopharmaceuticals, agriculture and hospitality.
Morris Air was a low-fare airline in the western United States, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. It began scheduled operations in 1992, and was sold to Southwest Airlines in December 1993 for over $120 million in stock. The airline officially became part of Southwest in the autumn of 1994. Morris Air was the first airline in the world to invent e-ticket (ticketless) travel based on the suggestion of Stuart Thatcher, an employee at the time. Although Southwest Airlines is often credited with offering the first e-ticketing system, it was in fact created and implemented by Morris Air and later integrated into Southwest Airlines after it purchased Morris Air.
The Tony Jannus Award recognizes outstanding individual achievement in scheduled commercial aviation by airline executives, inventors and manufacturers, and government leaders. The award is conferred annually by the Tony Jannus Distinguished Aviation Society and was first bestowed in 1964 in Tampa, Florida, U.S. Its namesake, aviation pioneer Tony Jannus, piloted the inaugural flight of the St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line on January 1, 1914, the first scheduled commercial airline flight in the world using heavier-than-air aircraft. In addition to preserving the legacy of Tony Jannus, the non-profit Society also offers financial assistance to college students pursuing studies in aviation and conducts an annual essay contest for high school students to encourage careers in aviation.
Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S/A is a Brazilian airline headquartered in Barueri, a suburb of São Paulo. The company's business model is to stimulate demand by providing frequent and affordable air service to underserved markets throughout Brazil. The company was named Azul after a naming contest in 2008, where "Samba" was the other popular name. Azul is a publicly traded company on the Brazilian stock exchange, with the ticker AZUL4. It was established on 5 May 2008 by Brazilian-born David Neeleman, with a fleet of 76 Embraer 195 jets. The airline began service on 15 December 2008.
The David Eccles School of Business is located on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, Utah. The school was founded as the "School of Commerce & Finance" in 1917 and subsequently changed its name to "School of Business" in 1927, although business classes were taught through the Economics & Sociology department at the University starting in 1896. The school currently offers nine undergraduate majors, four MBA programs, nine specialized master's programs, a Ph.D. program, and executive education offerings. The Eccles School has nearly 40,000 alumni in all 50 U.S. states and many countries.
Sun America, Inc., d/b/a JetAmerica, was a proposed American low-cost scheduled public charter airline headquartered in unincorporated Pinellas County, Florida. On March 10, 2009, the airline announced a number of public scheduled charter flights from underutilized airports to Newark and Minneapolis–St. Paul using a Miami Air International Boeing 737-800 to begin on June 30, 2009. On May 27, 2009, the airline held its first press conference at Toledo Express Airport, Ohio, announcing its first focus city and the start of flight operations on July 13, 2009. The airline announced the station markets of Lansing, Michigan; Melbourne, Florida; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Newark, New Jersey; South Bend, Indiana; and Toledo, Ohio. The airline also publicly stated it was evaluating service to Baltimore, Maryland; Charleston, West Virginia Chicago Midway, Illinois; Rockford, Illinois; Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton, Ohio; Greensboro, North Carolina; Hartford, Connecticut; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Clearwater, Florida. The airline later delayed the start of service to August 14, 2009. However, JetAmerica did not begin service as it was unable to finalize slots at Newark.
TAP Air Portugal is the flag carrier of Portugal, headquartered at Lisbon Airport which also serves as its hub. TAP – Transportes Aéreos Portugueses – has been a member of the Star Alliance since 2005 and operates on average 2,500 flights a week to 90 destinations in 34 countries worldwide. As of May 2019 the company has a fleet of 100 aircraft, all of which are manufactured by Airbus with the exception of 19 aircraft manufactured by Embraer, operating on behalf of the regional airline TAP Express.
David J. Barger is an American businessman, and one of the co-founders of JetBlue. He was the airline's chief executive officer (CEO) until his ouster in February 2015. He had been part of JetBlue's founding team and was on the board of directors. Barger is now an operating partner at Connor Capital SB.
Alex Wilcox is an American and British airline executive and businessman. He co-founded JetSuiteX, since renamed JSX, and is JSX's CEO. Wilcox was a founding executive of JetBlue Airways as well as president and COO of Kingfisher Airlines until 2006. Wilcox started his career in customer service at Virgin Atlantic Airways, where he helped David Tait, who headed US Virgin Atlantic.
Breeze Airways, legally Breeze Aviation Group, Inc., is an American low-cost airline headquartered in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. The airline was founded by David Neeleman, who previously co-founded Morris Air, WestJet, JetBlue, and Azul Linhas Aereas. Breeze's operations launched on May 27, 2021, with its inaugural flight from Tampa International Airport to Charleston International Airport.
Green Africa Airways Ltd is a Nigerian airline, based in Lagos, Nigeria. The airline was founded in 2015 and commenced flights on 12 August 2021.
Modern Transporte Aéreo de Carga or simply Modern Logistics is a Brazilian integrated cargo and logistics airline, established in 2014 and headquartered in Jundiaí, São Paulo. It was founded by executive co-founders of Azul Linhas Aéreas.
Italia Trasporto Aereo S.p.A., doing business as ITA Airways, is the flag carrier of Italy. It is owned by the Government of Italy via the Ministry of Economy and Finance and was founded in 2020 as bankrupt Alitalia's successor. The airline flies to over 70 scheduled domestic, European, and intercontinental destinations. ITA is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. Its main hub is Rome Fiumicino Airport near Rome and focus city is Linate Airport near Milan. ITA Airways will leave SkyTeam and join the Star Alliance as part of the process of its acquisition by Lufthansa.