JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) announced the appointment of Steve Olson as the airline’s new head of system operations and airports. He will report to Warren Christie, JetBlue’s chief operating officer. Since joining JetBlue in 2022, Olson has served as vice president of the system operations center, leading the airline’s daily flight execution and driving improvements in reliability and efficiency—a key pillar of JetBlue’s JetForward strategy aimed at returning the company to sustained profitability.
Under Olson’s leadership, JetBlue has made significant progress in on-time performance and has improved recovery from disruptions—an especially complex challenge given the airline’s East Coast network. Olson has also led a major operational modernization effort, including the addition of state-of-the-art aircraft movement and flight planning systems with a new crew management system set to go live later this year.
Olson has over two decades of airline leadership experience. He began his career as an aircraft maintenance technician with the Air National Guard and is a licensed aircraft dispatcher and commercial pilot, bringing a deep understanding of the industry from multiple perspectives.
“As we continue to strengthen our operation and enhance the customer experience, Steve’s leadership will be instrumental in driving collaboration between our system operations and airport teams,” said Warren Christie, chief operating officer, JetBlue. “His expertise in operational planning, real-time decision-making, and continuous improvement will help ensure we’re delivering safe, reliable and seamless travel for our customers.”
In his new role, Olson will take a holistic approach to customer experience and operations by aligning JetBlue’s system operations and airport functions under a unified strategy. This integration will foster greater communication, reduce communications barriers, and enable more informed decision-making.
