Neeleman's New Venture Takes Flight

Leave it to JetBlue founder David Neeleman to push up the launch of a new venture despite the current economic climate. Today, Neeleman announced that his new low-cost Brazilian airline Azul had taken flight with an inaugural trip from Campinas to Salvador de Bahia, a few weeks ahead of schedule. Neeleman reportedly moved up the launch to take advantage of the busy holiday travel season.

Neeleman, who was ousted as CEO of JetBlue following a service meltdown on Valentine's Day 2007, was born in Brazil while his father worked as a journalist there and holds dual citizenship. I spoke to him in the spring about his new venture as well as his departure from JetBlue. While it was clear that he would have loved a do-over at JetBlue, he seemed invigorated by the prospect of leading another start-up. You can find the extended version of the Q&A, which ran in our June issue, here.

Senior reporter Jason Del Rey covers technology, branding, and company culture for Inc. magazine and contributes to the From the Reporters daily blog. Before joining Inc., his work appeared in Newsday, The (Newark) Star-Ledger, and the Staten Island Advance, and on ESPN.com. He lives in New York City. @DelRey