Improving Efficiency through Simple Technology

David Barger is being honored as a Champion of Change for his time and effort developing innovative ways to help grow and expand the transportation industry.  

I am humbled and honored to be a White House Champion of Change. When I think about change, especially through the lens of transportation, I can’t help but think how much aviation and the airline industry has changed and modernized over the past 100 years. We’ve morphed and evolved – through innovations in materials, technologies, aircraft look and feel, fuel efficiency… you name it. In this industry, you never know what’s next on the horizon. Constant change is a given, and it’s one of the things that I love about being in aviation.

I’m motivated and excited by change and innovation, because without it we don’t grow and we become stagnant.  

That brings me to my involvement with NextGen (Next Generation Air Traffic Control System) and gaining the opportunity to partner with the safety professionals at the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) in order to assist in moving the industry to the next level as it relates to operating safe and efficient skies. I strongly believe that through simple technology efficiencies we can enhance the United States air traffic control system, prevent waste, and improve operations all while keeping safety top of mind. NextGen is a joint private and public sector partnership that’s working together to upgrade our nation’s air transportation system so airlines can move more efficiently across the country and globe, including right here in the Northeast Corridor – the most congested airspace in the world that stretches from Boston through New York to Washington, DC. Through this partnership, we now have the opportunity to further effect positive change in our economy, the environment and our use of energy.

Simply put, NextGen is the future of the airline industry!

While I’m invested in the success of NextGen for business and industry reasons, as the Chair of NAC (NextGen Advisory Committee) I’m also personally invested. One of the most gratifying aspects of being a member of NAC is seeing all 28 members walk in and “take their company logos of their chest.” We all know that this initiative is bigger than our respective organizations. It’s not about what’s in it for JetBlue or any of the other 27 institutions represented on the committee, and that’s something special. It creates the right collaborative environment to get things done for the benefit of the industry and the country. Change enables us to be more competitive on the global economic stage, and that’s something that I’m very pleased to help champion.

David Barger is CEO of JetBlue Airways