This is the fifth episode of our 2025 Airline Leaders Series, brought to you in partnership with 815Labs!

For this episode, we traveled to Lisbon during the World Aviation Festival to meet with Jason Ward, Vice President of Marketing and People at Azul Airlines.

In this episode, we talk about:

How Jason’s journey across Morris Air, Southwest, JetBlue, TAP Portugal, and Azul shaped his people-first leadership style

Why empathy and culture are the foundations of brand loyalty

The OPA (Observe, Perceive, Attend) model and how it drives great service at Azul

How technology and AI can enhance, not replace, the human touch

Azul’s community-driven purpose and a breakdown of their special “O Céu do Brasil é Azul” (“The Sky of Brazil is Blue”) campaign

Why curiosity and learning are still the most important skills for the future of airline leadership

This episode offers a refreshing perspective on leadership, culture, and airline customer experience from one of the industry’s most experienced voices.

RESOURCES:

https://diggintravel.com/airline-leaders-jason-ward-azul-airlines/