JetBlue was incorporated in Delaware in August 1998 and officially founded in February 1999, under the name NewAir by Neeleman. As the CEO of JetBlue Airways, his 2002 salary was $200,000 with a bonus of $90,000.eeleman donated his entire salary to the JetBlue Crewmember Crisis Fund, which was established for JetBlue employees who had fallen on hard times. On May 10, 2007, David Neeleman was replaced by David Barger (born 1959) as CEO of JetBlue and on May 21, 2008 he was replaced as chairman of the board by Joel Peterson.