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JetBlue Airways announces the appointment of Dave Barger to the position of chief executive officer, effective immediately. In addition, Barger retains his responsibilities as president. David Neeleman, JetBlue's founder and chief executive officer since 1998, will serve JetBlue as non-executive chairman of the board.

"This is a natural evolution of our leadership structure as JetBlue continues to grow," Neeleman said. "As chairman of the Board of Directors, I will focus on developing JetBlue's long-term vision and strategy, and how we can continue to be a preferred product in a commodity business."

"The strength of JetBlue has always been our crewmembers," Barger said. "We believe that when we take care of our people, and make sure they have the right tools and resources, customers will choose us first every time. I look forward to a very bright future for our crewmembers, our customers and our shareholders."

Neeleman founded JetBlue as chief executive officer in 1998 and became chairman of the Board of Directors in 2002. Barger joined JetBlue in August 1998 as president and chief operating officer. The airline first took to the skies in February 2000. Since then, the low-fare airline based in New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport has grown to 52 destinations with more than 575 daily flights.