David Neeleman

Seat assignment didn’t matter if you’re flying Dallas to Houston and you did it 38 times a day. People just got on, you didn’t sit next to your wife, and it was a 45-minute flight. It didn’t matter.

This is not a business where you can hand off and run by remote control.

I actually thrive on all the challenges, and I don’t feel like ADD has impaired my ability.

I believe the public’s confidence would be increased if the federal government took over the functions of airport security screening for all passengers.

A lot of airlines have come and gone.

I also really like getting to know our crew members better.

I really see low-fare carriers, quality low-fare carriers anyway, continuing to become more and more popular.

We’re reviewing everything to see how we can do it better, faster, and more efficiently.

I’m always crunching numbers, so my calculator watch is a must.

People were desperately trying to fill their seats for the summer. And so prices are really low right now. And so they are kept from raising prices to make up for that difference.

We are just interested in dealing with the people we’re paying every day. We know federal law allows them to vote in a union at anytime, but we think we can resist that by talking to our own people and giving them enough upside.

We don’t want a third party who may or may not have our best interests in mind or our crew members’ best interests in mind because they may be serving a union of one of our competitors. They are trying to equalize us and take away our competitive advantage.

The Blackberry is really essential for keeping up on my emails when I’m out of the office, which is a lot.

Be it $15 million here and $11 million there, it takes hundreds of millions to be successful in this business.

We tried to set up a company that patterned ourselves after Southwest in all the fun, the spirit, the great people, the smile, the efficiency side of it, but we’ve added some extras that people aren’t used to finding on Southwest.

Of course, we should all be aware of what we’re packing in our carry-on luggage – anything that might be considered dangerous could be confiscated at a security checkpoint.

And, of course, customers really need to feel safe and are seeking reassurance when they fly.

Certainly, we are hurt by the high fuel prices because it raises our cost.

It’s so important to experience what your customers are experiencing and listen to their suggestions.

Our people get profit-sharing checks. I got a report the other day that says that 84 percent of our people participate in our stock purchase program, where they can buy stock at a 15 percent discount.

And you’ve got to remember that I’m also the father of nine children.

Value will always be on top of everyone’s lists now, right along with safety.

What you can’t buy is the loyalty that comes through our dedicated crewmembers.

Just keep thinking about the good side of ADD – the creativity and the originality it can stimulate.

I think they got caught up in how much money they could get from each of the city governments as far as tax rebates. But that stuff works when you make money. It’s a little bit phantom money.