What JetBlue's CIO Learned About Customer Satisfaction
An interview with JetBlue CIO Charles "Duffy" Mees about what was technology's fault, what were business process problems and what was unavoidable in the Valentine's Day ice storm debacle.
CIO — Charles “Duffy” Mees began life as a corporate jet pilot, but it wasn’t the right gig for him. “Flying is hours of sheer boredom, highlighted by moments of sheer terror,” says Mees. “It just wasn’t challenging enough for me.” So he stowed his pilot’s license and took up computer science. But he never strayed too far from the friendly skies, joining the IT department at Reno Air and subsequently becoming CIO of Independence Air. IT, it turned out, was more to his liking. “It’s hours of sheer terror with no boredom,” Mees says.
This was never more true than last February 14, Valentine’s Day. Mees had been the CIO of JetBlue Airways for just over three months when an ice storm in the Northeast led to a monumental customer service meltdown for the low-cost carrier famous for its customer service. Hundreds of customers were held hostage on the tarmac for hours on end and thousands more were stranded in airport terminals as JetBlue cancelled more than 1,110 flights over a six-day period. JetBlue CEO David Neeleman estimated the cost of the incident—referred to in the airline industry as “irregular operations”—at around $30 million. JetBlue’s reputation took a horrific beating and Neeleman went on a mea culpa media tour, making sure the message got out that JetBlue planned to make things right for customers and do everything necessary to prevent such a disaster from ever happening again.
Mees was at the center of the maelstrom. Recruited by Neeleman to become JetBlue’s CTO in July 2006, Mees took over as CIO four months later when his predecessor, Todd Thompson, left for Starwood Hotels. Mees had barely had a chance to get his feet wet when the storm hit and he found himself dealing with irate customers, manning the ticket counter at JFK International Airport and slinging bags instead of working on JetBlue’s long-term IT strategy.
During the six-day slowdown and its aftermath, Mees learned a lot about how in a world of digital cameras and 24-hour news channels customer dissatisfaction quickly can turn into a national PR nightmare. It reaffirmed his belief that being truthful with customers is essential and that smaller, more rapid IT improvements ultimately provide greater value than big bang projects. And he found out a few things he’d just as soon forget, such as how much a human being can actually accomplish on one hour of sleep.
CIO spoke with Mees to afford him the opportunity to reflect on the Jet Blue experience in relative tranquility.
