I was visiting a friend in Boston who was talking up JetBlue, saying great things about the CEO and about how they did things differently. When I returned home to Seattle the cover story for Fast Company was about David Neeleman and JetBlue. Both were portrayed so positively, I was then determined to work at a company so awesome.

I knew that other people would want to work at JetBlue and I didn’t know how to stand out in the crowd of resumes. So I created a website, davidneelemanpleasehireme.com, and I made it look as much like jetblue.com as I possibly could. The main page was to be a cover letter. The navigation was sort of a resume.  I designed the website myself and tried to copy all the detail of jetblue.com.I wrote in to jetblue.com via the “speak up” section. I mentioned how much I love JetBlue, that I loved how they treated customers, and how much I wanted to work there.  I included a link to davidneelemanpleasehireme.com.

My idea was too awesome to be ignored; they either hadn’t read the comments I made or they thought I was too weird. After a week of not hearing from them I gave up.

A month later I finally got a call saying the job I wanted wasn’t the right fit but that they had a need for someone with my technical skills in JetBlue University. I checked my web stats and a whole bunch of people from JetBlue had seen it. Eventually, someone who happened to be in Seattle gave me a “weirdo” screening interview. I was brought in to NYC for a few more interviews and finally I was hired.

On November 12, 2001 I became part of the JetBlue family, and it has been a nice ride. I started in Fort Lauderdale as a Crewmember when we had only five flights a day and there was a good outlook towards future growth. At the time, Mr. John Driscoll, our station manager, was talking about the increase of flights to FLL and the possible need of somebody to coordinate these flights. I volunteered right away to be part of that team. John was a bit skeptical about the whole thing, so he said, “OK Maria if you can put it together at no extra cost to us go for it.”

Kelly Johnson and I started the first Operations at JetBlue. We had a room about 12×12 with a phone, a computer, a board, and one radio so that we could communicate with the pilots in range.

After working seven days a week from 4AM – 11PM, we grew from five flights a day to seventeen flights a day. Our room got bigger and we began to get more equipment and more Crewmembers to work the operation. Kelly left to Palm Beach to be a supervisor; Dave Eaton, Hubert Fryman, “Skip” joined the operations, and many more passed through the FLL Operations. Many left and went on to bigger and better dreams; many got promoted, Dave went on to be the Cargo and Mail Supervisor, Hubert as Training Supervisor, and so on. I’m still a Crewmember in Orlando, as an Airports liaison. Take care of your job- IT’S WORTH IT!

When I got the call from recruiter Natalie White, I was literally around the corner from the hospital where I was scheduled to have spinal surgery in less than 2 hours. I was both excited to learn that JetBlue had gotten my application and resume and had called me and worried that my impending surgery would blow this opportunity.

When I explained where I was and said that I could not talk now but would be out of the hospital in a few days Natalie reassured me and help me to put my priorities in order by telling me to get off the phone and get better and that she would check on me the next week sometime. Like clockwork Natalie called the next day and, after asking about my well-being, said that she would send me the information to prepare for my interview and would schedule it for a month later. Since I was unsure I would be walking by then it was a tentative date.

I was just off of my walker a month later and came in and interviewed and then was hired. I only returned to my prior job on Wall Street to close up my projects and to say goodbye. My first day was February 14, 2007 – that infamous day. My friends at AIG laughed at me and my choice of JetBlue as the media was being brutal to us. I was happy with my choice when I saw fellow Crewmembers pitching in to help in any way they could. I knew this was the place I wanted to be. They just laughed. Look who is laughing now AIG!!! I will stick with us any day! Happy Birthday JetBlue – Happy Birthday Us!

10 years ago this month, I had the opportunity to accept a job offer from Dave Barger and Ann Rhoades, who at the time was heading up our newly formed People Crew, to help build a new airline that was going to bring humanity back to the airline business.

At that time, I had already been in the airline business for 19 years with several small, medium and larger legacy carriers and had a bird’s eye view of how poorly a business could treat a customer on a routine basis. To say the least, I was ready for a change and then came along this new airline with all the right ingredients, from leadership, to corporate philosophy and attitude. This new airline would surely succeed and was being built to last.

After accepting this new opportunity to be apart of this history in the making, friends and family would often say, “JetWho?” followed by, “it had to have been a difficult decision to leave an airline with many airplanes to go to work for an airline with zero airplanes” to which my immediate response was,” It was the second easiest decision I have ever made.” This remains to be the case for me to this day.

Having been a part of this amazing organization and having the opportunity to participate in many of our firsts including the arrival of our very first Aircraft N503 into gate 14 over at the old Terminal 4 International Terminal Building at JFK on December 5th, 1999 and welcoming home the delivery crew which included Mike Barger who was at command of that aircraft. Being present for the signing of our Air Carrier Certificate by the FAA at building 111 at JFK on February 3rd, 2000 after successfully completing our required Proving Runs, followed by the cutting of the ribbon for our very first revenue flight, flight 1 departing from gate 12 at 10:35am outbound to FLL on February 11th 2000 and being directly involved with the opening of every Blue City thereafter.

Now 10 years later I’m surrounded by an amazing army of 12,000 crewmembers who continue to deliver on the original promise of bringing back humanity on each and every JetBlue flight each and everyday and the making of a world class airline.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this amazing story and I look forward to working with everyone here in continuing this story during our second decade with great things to come.

I’m a Blue Believer!

While I was on the east coast I decided to go to NYC and vacation and one of the things I did while there was to go to the World Trade Center! The date of that ticket, now framed in my office at home, is 8-09-01, 31 days before 9-11. So, I was in both of those buildings just before they were hit.

Right after 911, I had an epiphany and in six weeks time, I sold my restaurant and left for NYC to cook for the NYFD- it took me two years to feed 103 companies in all 5 boroughs of NYC! donated all of the food to feed them and all of my time. Not long after, a retired Marine, who had become a JetBlue pilot, told me that I should apply for job with him. Another friend in the same week told me the same thing. I was amazed that in one week two people said the same words and had made the same gesture. So, I figured, what the heck; I will apply never thinking I would get called.

JetBlue called me. In three days I did the phone interview, in another week I was in NY for the all-day interview, a week after that I was in training in Orlando. The rest is history. It is the best thing I have ever done in my life! I love my job, I love the people. I love the perks!!! It is a job but at the same time it is fun helping people.