Don Burr

Don Burr
BornMay 8, 1941
South Windsor, Connecticut
EducationHarvard Business School, MBA, Stanford University, BA, Economics
Occupation(s)Commercial airline entrepreneur, aviation executive, financial analyst
Known forFounding of People Express
Spouse(s)Brigit Rupner Burr (married 1960, divorced 1992, deceased 2024), Melrose Dawsey Burr (married 1996--present)
ChildrenCameron Burr (1962) Whitney Burr (1965), Kelsey Burr Roberts (1973-2006), Andrew Burr (1974)

Donald C. Burr (born 1941) is an American businessman and aviation executive known for creating in 1981, the first nationally successful Ultra Low-Cost Carrier (ULCC) airline, People Express (April 30, 1981 – February 1, 1987), serving as its CEO (TIME magazine, January 13, 1986). With a vision for offering extremely low fares and pioneering the no-frills approach, Burr opened air travel to people who had not even considered it before.[1] In just four years, he took the company to $1 billion in revenue (New Jersey; History of Ingenuity and Industry, James P. Johnson).[2] Burr was one of seven candidates for TIME’s Man of the Year in 1985 and on the cover in 1986 for revolutionizing the air travel business.[3]

  1. ^ ""Super Savings in the Skies"". TIME Magazine. January 13, 1986.
  2. ^ Johnson, James P. (1987). New Jersey; History of Ingenuity and Industry (1st ed.). Windsor Publications. pp. 396–397, 544–545. ISBN 0-89781-206-9.
  3. ^ ""Seven Who Succeeded"". TIME Magazine. January 7, 1985.