In 2000, a startup airline company emerged with a simple mission of “bringing humanity back to air travel.” That airline was JetBlue. The goal was to position itself as the anti-airline and distinguish itself from the competition with superior customer service. Here’s how they did it.

They embraced Jan Carlzon’s Moments of Truth philosophy — that every point of customer contact is a marketing opportunity and a test of the brand.

Toward that effort, JetBlue CEO David Neeleman was literally hands-on, helping passengers load luggage in the overhead bins. Once in flight, he’d walk the isle of the plane asking customers what they thought of the JetBlue experience.

Once a week, he’d spend two and a half hours walking, talking, and listening his way through an Airbus A320 airliner. “I need our crewmembers that are on the flight to know that their CEO cares about the customers,” said Neeleman.

This personal touch was practiced companywide. Flight attendants assisted passengers in ways other airlines would not in the belief that it was the little things that often matter most.

“It’s critically important that when that first customer comes to the door, there’s a ‘Wow!’ experience,” said Neeleman.

The result was a customer-friendly environment that immediately set JetBlue apart from the competition. Customers became brand ambassadors and would say: “JetBlue makes me feel welcome” and “JetBlue is genuinely happy to have me onboard.” Customer feedback was so positive that it led to a catchy advertising tagline: “Somebody Up There Likes You.”