Summary

How do you keep a fast-growing, always-in-motion workforce informed, aligned, and delivering standout service—while adding a new aircraft every month?

Jeff Weber, Chief People Officer at Breeze Airways, shares how the airline is scaling a people-first culture across a distributed, frontline operation.

Founded during COVID by David Neumann, Breeze targets underserved airports with a “seriously nice” guest experience—and it shows with NPS in the 70s. Jeff, who came from software, breaks down what it takes to staff a point-to-point model across many locations, onboard 1,000+ new hires a year, and give teams the tools they need in the flow of work.

He details weekly CEO-led calls by role to drive connection and clarity, an AI-enabled HR assistant (Harper by WISC) that handles tier-one/two questions in Teams and email, and short-form training that becomes instant job aids on phones and iPads.

You’ll also hear how Breeze builds scalable listening loops—active Q&A, pulse surveys, and focus groups—while decentralizing culture through local ambassador committees and community work, including Make-A-Wish flights. Jeff closes with a clear charge to HR: act as internal consultants who partner on business outcomes in a complex, margin-tight industry.

Timestamps

[00:22] – Breeze context: founding during COVID, growth, A220 fleet, and adding an aircraft monthly

[03:14] – Why Jeff joined from tech; building a software-like culture to elevate guest experience (NPS in the 70s)

[05:04] – Hypergrowth people challenges: point-to-point staffing, onboarding at scale, and training new leaders

[07:26] – Keeping a distributed frontline connected: weekly function calls with the CEO, values, and safety

[08:52] – Practical AI in HR: Harper (WISC) for instant answers, policy links, and faster path to productivity

[12:47] – Short-form, in-the-flow training: turning courses into mobile job aids for real-time use

[15:40] – Scalable listening: active Q&A, pulse surveys, focus groups, and a safe culture for healthy friction

[20:58] – Local ownership of culture: ambassador committees, community service, and Make-A-Wish partnerships

Takeaways

- Run weekly, CEO-hosted calls by role to keep distributed teams connected and aligned.

- Deploy an AI HR assistant to deflect tier-one questions, route to resources, and speed path to productivity.

- Convert training into bite-size job aids accessible on mobile at the exact moment of need.

- Build scalable listening loops—chat Q&A, pulse surveys, and focus groups—to surface and act on feedback.

- Distribute culture locally via ambassador committees and community partnerships so values are felt, not just stated.

- Recast HR as internal consultants who partner on business outcomes, not just policy and process.

Sponsor

AllVoices brings all your employee relations work together in one place. No more jumping between spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems just one place to document and manage reports, cases, investigations, and performance conversations. It helps you run a more consistent process, takes busywork off your plate with AI, and makes it easier to spot trends early, so you can work proactively, not just put out fires.

See a demo at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.allvoices.co/

Building a People-First Airline: Breeze Airways’ CPO on AI, Frontline Comms, and Hypergrowth

HR Voices

Building a People-First Airline: Breeze Airways’ CPO on AI, Frontline Comms, and Hypergrowth