JetBlue Airways
Encyclopedia
JetBlue Airways Corporation is an American low-cost airline
. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills
neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens
. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport
, also in Queens.
In 2001, JetBlue began a focus city
operation at Long Beach Airport in California, and another at Boston's Logan International Airport
, in 2004. It also has focus city operations at Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport
, Orlando International Airport
and at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
in San Juan
. The airline mainly serves destinations in the United States, along with flights to the Caribbean
, The Bahamas, Bermuda
, Barbados
, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Mexico. JetBlue serves 70 destinations in 22 states (including Puerto Rico), and eleven countries in the Caribbean, South America and Latin America.
JetBlue maintains a corporate office in , a satellite office in , and its Information Technology center in Garden City, New York
. JetBlue is a non-union
airline.
According to Skytrax, JetBlue is the highest rated airline in the United States, and the country's only four-star airline.
JetBlue was incorporated in Delaware in August 1998. David Neeleman
founded the company in February 1999, under the name "NewAir." Several of JetBlue's executives, including Neeleman, are former Southwest Airlines
employees. JetBlue started by following Southwest's approach of offering low-cost travel, but sought to distinguish itself by its amenities, such as in-flight entertainment, TV on every seat and Satellite radio. In Neeleman's words, JetBlue looks "to bring humanity back to air travel."
In September 1999, the airline was awarded 75 initial take off/landing slots at John F. Kennedy International Airport
, and received formal U.S. authorization in February 2000. It started operations on February 11, 2000, with service to Buffalo
and Ft. Lauderdale.
JetBlue's founders had set out to call the airline "Taxi
" and therefore have a yellow livery to associate the airline with New York. The idea was dropped, however, for several reasons: the negative connotation behind New York City taxis; the ambiguity of the word taxi with regard to air traffic control; and threats from investor JP Morgan to pull its share ($20 million of the total $128 million) of the airline's initial funding unless the name was changed.
on the NASDAQ
stock exchange in 2002, JetBlue has become one of the most popular airline stocks in history and currently has about two billion dollars in market capitalization
. Financial results were strong for the airline throughout the 2002–2004 years, and many analysts and journalists lauded the airline for its success.
The airline sector responded to JetBlue's market presence by starting mini-rival carriers: Delta Air Lines
started Song
, and United Airlines
launched another rival called Ted
. Song has since been disbanded and was reabsorbed by Delta Air Lines, and United has discontinued Ted as a separate brand.
In 2002, JetBlue acquired LiveTV
for $41 million in cash and the retirement of $39 million of LiveTV debt. LiveTV equips JetBlue with 36 channels of live DirecTV
satellite TV programming at each seat
. Two years later, JetBlue announced it would add 100 channels of XM Satellite Radio
, Fox TV programs and 20th Century Fox
movies to its in-flight entertainment.
JetBlue has not yet attempted to raise money by selling snacks during flights, a move that many larger airlines have made on domestic flights and some international flights. JetBlue has also told customers in commercials and print ads that they "encourage you to use the call button", advertising their devotion to customer service. JetBlue is also known for its "letter ads", for example: "Dear New York", and ending with, "Sincerely, JetBlue".
As the airline continued to make record profits, new planes allowed for additional route opportunities. These included JetBlue's first international service, New York City to the Dominican Republic, on June 10, 2004. Additional service to The Bahamas began on November 1, 2004, and service to Bermuda
began May 4, 2006. Service to Aruba
began September 15, 2006.
In 2004, JetBlue began flights from New York City's LaGuardia Airport
and added service in 2005 to Newark Liberty International Airport
in , thereby serving all three major New York City area airports. Also in 2005, the company added service between JFK and Boston's Logan Airport
with ten daily flights using its new 100-seat Embraer 190 fixed-wing aircraft
. In October 2006 JetBlue announced they would begin service from Stewart International Airport
, in Newburgh, New York
. Later, the airline announced new service to Westchester County Airport
, also known as White Plains, allowing JetBlue access to five of the six New York City area airports.
In October 2005, JetBlue announced that its quarterly profit had plunged from US$8.1 million to $2.7 million largely due to rising fuel costs. In addition, the airline was struggling with their new aircraft, the Embraer 190. Operational issues, fuel prices, and low fares, JetBlue's hallmark, were bringing its financial performance down. In addition, with higher costs related to the airline's numerous amenities, JetBlue was becoming less competitive.
Regardless, the airline continued to plan for growth. It was announced that 36 new aircraft were scheduled for delivery in the year 2006.
For many years, analysts had predicted that JetBlue's growth rate would become unsustainable. Despite this, the airline continued to add planes and routes to the fleet at a brisk pace. In addition in 2006, the IAM (International Association of Machinists
) attempted to unionize JetBlue's "ramp service workers," in a move that was described by JetBlue's COO Dave Barger as "pretty hypocritical," as the IAM opposed JetBlue's creation when it was founded as New Air in 1998. The union organizing petition was dismissed by the National Mediation Board because fewer than 35 percent of eligible employees supported an election.
In February 2006, JetBlue announced its first ever quarterly loss. For 4th quarter 2005, the airline lost $42.4 million, enough to make them unprofitable for the entire year of 2005. The loss was the airline's first since going public in 2002. JetBlue also reported a loss in the 1st quarter 2006. In addition to that, JetBlue forecast a loss for 2006, citing high fuel prices, operating inefficiency, and fleet costs. During the first quarter report, CEO David Neeleman, President Dave Barger, and then-CFO John Owen released JetBlue's "Return to Profitability" ("RTP") plan, stating in detail how they would curtail costs and improve revenue to regain profitability. The plan called for $50 million in annual cost cuts and a push to boost revenue by $30 million. JetBlue Airways moved out of the dark during the second quarter of 2006, beating Wall Street expectations by announcing a net profit of $14 million. That result was flat when compared to JetBlue's results from the same quarter a year ago ($13 million), but it was double Wall Street forecasts of a $7 million profit, Reuters reports. The carrier said cost-cutting and stronger revenue helped it offset higher jet fuel costs. In October 2006, JetBlue announced a net loss of $500,000 for Quarter 3, and a plan to regain that loss by deferring some of their E190 deliveries, and by selling 5 of their A320s.
In December 2006, JetBlue announced another component of the RTP, when they explained the reasoning behind their decision to remove a row of seats off their A320s. The removal of the seats will lighten the aircraft by 904 lb (410 kg), and will reduce the inflight crew size from four to three (per FAA regulation requiring one flight attendant
per 50 seats), thus offsetting the lost revenue from the removal of seats, and further lightening the aircraft, resulting in less fuel burned.
In January 2007, JetBlue announced it had returned to profitability with a fourth quarter profit for 2006, reversing a quarterly loss in the year-earlier period. As part of the RTP plan, 2006's full year loss was $1 million compared to 2005's full year loss of $20 million. JetBlue was one of the few major airlines to post a profit in the quarter.
While its financial performance started showing signs of improvement, in February 2007, JetBlue faced a crisis, when a snowstorm hit the Northeast and Midwest, throwing the airline's operations into chaos. Because JetBlue followed the practice of never canceling flights, it desisted from calling flights off, even when the ice storm hit and the airline was forced to keep several planes on the ground. Because of this, passengers were kept waiting at the airports for their flights to take off. In some cases, passengers who had already boarded their planes were kept waiting on the tarmac for several hours and were not allowed to disembark. However, after all this, the airline was eventually forced to cancel most of its flights because of prevailing weather conditions. The fiasco reportedly cost JetBlue $30 million.
On May 10, 2007, JetBlue announced Barger's appointment as CEO, who also retains the position of President. Neeleman, who was named non-executive Chairman of the Board, said "This is a natural evolution of our leadership structure as JetBlue continues to grow. As Chairman of the Board of Directors, I will focus on developing JetBlue's long-term vision and strategy, and how we can continue to be a preferred product in a commodity business."
On July 24, 2007, JetBlue reported that its second-quarter revenue increased to $730 million, compared to $612 in 2006. Second quarter net income grew to $21 million for the quarter, from $14 million the previous year. CEO David Barger said the airline will take delivery of three fewer planes this year and will sell three planes from their current fleet, "slowing capacity growth...to strengthen our balance sheet and facilitate earnings growth", but will continue to add two to four new destinations each year.
In July 2007, the airline partnered with 20th Century Fox's film "The Simpsons Movie" to become the "Official Airline of Springfield." In addition a contest was held in which the grand prize would be a trip on JetBlue to Los Angeles to attend the premiere of the film. The airline's website was also redecorated with characters and their favorite JetBlue destinations and the company was taken over by the show/film's businessman villain Montgomery Burns
.
In August 2007, the airline announced the addition of exclusive content from The New York Times
in the form of an in-flight video magazine, conducted by Times' journalists and content from NYTimes.com.
On October 11, 2007, JetBlue announced expanded service to the Caribbean with service to St. Maarten and Puerto Plata commencing January 10, 2008. With these additional destinations, JetBlue's service expands to a total of twelve Caribbean/Atlantic destinations including Aruba; Barbados; Bermuda; Cancún; Nassau; Aguadilla, Ponce and San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Santiago and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. JetBlue serves 63 destinations in 20 states, Puerto Rico, and eleven countries in the Caribbean and Latin America.
On November 8, 2007, JetBlue announced the appointment of Ed Barnes as interim CFO, following the resignation of former CFO John Harvey.
On December 13, 2007, JetBlue and German-based Lufthansa
announced their intent to sell 19% of JetBlue to Lufthansa, pending approval from US regulators. Following the acquisition, Lufthansa stated they plan to seek operational cooperation with JetBlue. Lufthansa
plans to offer connections to JetBlue flights in Boston, New York (JFK), and Orlando International Airport
.
In the March edition of Airways Magazine, it was announced that JetBlue partnered with Yahoo!
and BlackBerry
producer, Research in Motion
, that the airline would offer free, limited Wi-Fi
capabilities on N651JB, an Airbus A320-200
dubbed "BetaBlue." People can access e-mail with a Wi-Fi capable Blackberry, or use Yahoo!'s e-mail and instant messaging with a Wi-Fi capable laptop.
On March 19, 2008, JetBlue announced the addition of Orlando, Florida
as a gateway focus city to international destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, and South America. New international routes from Orlando International Airport
include Cancún, Mexico
, Bridgetown, Barbados, Bogotá, Colombia
, Nassau, Bahamas
, San José, Costa Rica
and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
. In conjunction with the addition of new routes the airline will continue significant expansion of operations at Orlando International Airport
including a planned 292-room lodge that will house trainees attending the existing "JetBlue University" training facility.
On April 8, 2008, JetBlue introduced a new "Happy Jetting" brand campaign. The marketing campaign, developed in partnership with JWT New York, emphasizes competitive fares, service and complimentary onboard amenities such as free satellite television and radio, snacks and leather seats.
On May 21, 2008, JetBlue named Joel Peterson chairman and Frank Sica vice chairman of its board of directors, replacing David Neeleman
, who stepped down as CEO in 2007.
On August 4, 2008, the Associated Press
reported that JetBlue would replace their recycled pillows and blankets with an "ecofriendly" pillow and blanket package that passengers would have to purchase for use. Each package will cost $7, and will include a $5 coupon from retailer Bed, Bath and Beyond. This decision is the latest in a series of moves designed to increase revenue. JetBlue told the Associated Press that it expects to collect $40 million from passengers selecting seats with extra legroom and $20 million from passengers paying $15 to check a second bag. JetBlue charges passengers $10–$30 for an extended-leg-room seat depending on the length of the flight.
In September 2008 JetBlue began operating Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin
's campaign aircraft, an E190.
On October 13, 2009, the airline unveiled a modification to its livery in commemoration of the upcoming 10th anniversary of the airline in February 2010. Besides a new tail design, the revised livery includes larger "billboard" titles extending down over the passenger windows at the front of the aircraft. The logo word 'jetBlue' will no longer be silver and blue but now a dark, navy blue.
On June 16, 2010, JetBlue began selling snack boxes on Airbus A320 flights over 3 hours, 45 minutes. There are 5 options for $6 each.
In March 22, 2010, JetBlue turned down incentives from the City of Orlando and announced its headquarters would keep its Forest Hills office, start leasing and using a new office in the Brewster Building
in Long Island City, New York. in Queens Plaza in Long Island City, move its headquarters there in mid-2012, and start a joint branding deal with New York State using the iconic I Love NY
logo.
On October 14, 2010, the California Council of the Blind and three individuals with visual impairments have filed a lawsuit against JetBlue Airways in Federal Court on allegations that JetBlue's website and airport kiosks are not accessible.
On October 18, 2011, JetBlue announced that Chief Financial Officer Ed Barnes had resigned effective immediately. The company's treasurer, Mark Powers, was appointed interim CFO until a replacement for Barnes could be found.
On October 22, 2008 JetBlue opened its new primary hub at John F. Kennedy International Airport
(JFK), Terminal 5, or simply T5. The mostly new terminal, costing approximately $800 million partially encircles the historic TWA Flight Center
, the former Trans World Airlines
terminal designed by Eero Saarinen
, which remains closed. According to the plan, passengers will eventually be able to check-in for flights in the landmark building, then transfer to the new structure via the original passenger departing-arrival tubes from Saarinen's original terminal and its 1969 addition by Roche-Dinkeloo
.
The first flight arrived from Bob Hope Airport
(B6 #358) at 5:06 am followed by arrivals from Oakland International Airport
and Long Beach Airport, respectively. The last flight to operate out of T6 was a departure to Rafael Hernández Airport
in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
, departing at 11:59 pm
magazine's "Readers' Choice Awards" for the sixth year in a row.
On June 8, 2011, JetBlue ranked 'Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Low Cost Carriers in North America' by J.D. Power and Associates
, a customer satisfaction recognition received for the seventh year in a row.
Jetblue is currently ranked as 4-star low-cost carrier by Skytrax, and is the only airline in the United States to be ranked above 3 stars.
, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda
, Colombia, Costa Rica, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Sint Maarten, and the United States, including Puerto Rico
. Additional international service between Saint Lucia (UVF) and New York, NY (JFK) began October 26, 2009, and Kingston, Jamaica
(KIN) and New York, NY (JFK) began October 30, 2009.
On December 4, 2003, JetBlue pulled out of Atlanta. In 2006, JetBlue launched service to Pittsburgh
, Portland (Maine)
, Charlotte
, Raleigh
, Nashville
, Bermuda
, and Aruba
. JetBlue received authority to serve Cancún
, Mexico, after having competed for the route against Delta Air Lines
and USA 3000. JetBlue also began service to Houston-Hobby
, Sarasota
, Columbus
, and Tucson
; Service to Columbus, Tucson, and Nashville have since been discontinued.
Prior to the passage of the Wright Amendment Reform Act of 2006, JetBlue expressed an interest in serving Dallas Love Field's customers if the Wright Amendment
was repealed. It has also expressed refusal to serve Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
on the grounds that it does not wish to contend with American Airlines
, which has a dominating presence there.
On August 17, 2006, service between New York JFK and Washington-Dulles commenced, finalizing JetBlue's plan to connect the three major Northeast cities of Boston, New York, and Washington DC, and also putting pressure on the airlines that operate those routes, namely Delta Shuttle
and US Airways Shuttle. Washington-Dulles, as of November 21, 2011, offers six nonstop destinations, and with the addition of service to New York-JFK, many destinations via connection in New York.
In October 2006, JetBlue applied to the FAA for landing rights at Chicago's O'Hare Airport for eight flights per day. Almost immediately, United Airlines
filed an objection, claiming JetBlue "did not follow proper procedures and should be denied." On October 16, 2006, JetBlue received approval from the FAA to land at O'Hare, though the number of slots requested was cut in half to four flights per day. JetBlue also bought three additional O'Hare slots from other carriers, and service to New York/JFK and Long Beach started January 4, 2007.
JetBlue started service to/from White Plains, New York
on March 28, 2007. With this addition, JetBlue now serves five out of six airports in the New York City area. JetBlue announced in the Fall of 2007 that it was pulling out of Columbus and Nashville.
On September 3, 2008, JetBlue pulled out of Ontario International Airport
, a part of LAWA. Service and growth out of Los Angeles International Airport
, Bob Hope Burbank International Airport and Long Beach Municipal Airport continues to be a focus for the airline. Earlier that year, JetBlue also ended service out of Tucson International Airport, Arizona.
In conjunction with the airline's focus cities, JetBlue serves a significant number of destinations from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
, Las Vegas International Airport, Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
, Oakland International Airport
, Washington Dulles International Airport
and Southwest Florida International Airport
.
On April 19, 2010, JetBlue announced new service from Bradley International Airport
in Hartford, Connecticut
starting on November 17, 2010. They will offer twice daily non-stops (four daily departures) to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando
. In June 2011, JetBlue announced a nonstop daily flight between Hartford/Springfield and San Juan,PR beginning January 5, 2012. On October 3, 2011, JetBlue again announced another flight from Hartford, announcing a daily non-stop flight to West Palm Beach,FL starting January 12, 2012.
On December 23, 2010, JetBlue announced new service from New York JFK to Marthas Vineyard Airport starting the summer of 2011. Starting in 2007, JetBlue offered service from New York JFK to Nantucket Memorial Airport
. The JFK-MVY route will be served by the Embraer 190, as it does JFK-ACK. According to Cape Cod Times
, JetBlue is discussing possibly expanding service to Barnstable Municipal Airport
on Cape Cod, possibly in 2012.
On February 6, 2007, USA Today reported that JetBlue plans to enter into an alliance with Irish flagship carrier Aer Lingus
. The alliance will facilitate easy transfers to both airlines' customers, but will not allow either airline to sell seats on the other airline, unlike traditional codeshare alliances, meaning customers must make individual reservations with both carriers, the newspaper said. On February 1, 2008, JetBlue announced the details of this alliance. Passengers will be able to connect between Aer Lingus and JetBlue at New York/JFK
on a single ticket, which can be booked through both airlines' websites. The booking will be started with one airline, and then transferred to the other airline's website to complete the booking. CEO David Barger was quoted as saying if this alliance is successful, JetBlue may be interested in partnering with other international carriers.
On March 12, 2008, Financial Times reported Lufthansa
revealing its plans made with JetBlue. Lufthansa and JetBlue are reported to be investigating linking reservation systems and frequent flyer programs. By making use of JetBlue's North America routes as a feeder network, Lufthansa would be in a position to operate a quasi-hub at New York-JFK
.
, JetBlue transitioned reservation systems from OpenSkies to Sabre per agreement with European partner Lufthansa. The new system allows JetBlue to codeshare and transfer bags and passengers better between the two carriers.
According to Dave Barger, CEO of JetBlue Airways, the airline is currently considering becoming a member of a global airline alliance. Since Lufthansa
owns a 19% stake in JetBlue, Star Alliance
seems to be the most likely choice. JetBlue already partners Lufthansa, as well as Aer Lingus, which currently is not part of an alliance.
On Tuesday March 30, 2010, rumors surfaced in online aviation forums over a interline agreement between JetBlue Airways and American Airlines. On March 31, an official announcement was made by the airlines. The agreement includes the interlining
of routes between the airlines. Eighteen of JetBlue's destinations that are not served by American and twelve of American's international destinations from John F. Kennedy International Airport are included in the agreement. The deal began in July 2010. Also, American is giving JetBlue 16 slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for 8 round trips and 2 at Westchester County Airport. In return, JetBlue is giving American 12 slots or 6 round trips at JFK Airport.
On Friday May 7, 2010, JetBlue announced an interline agreement with South African Airways
to take effect on May 12, 2010. The agreement enables passengers to travel on a single electronic ticket with both carriers, and permits the through-checking of baggage in both directions.
On March 22, 2011, JetBlue announced a interline agreement with Virgin Atlantic Airways
on transatlantic travel.
On November 2, 2011, JetBlue announced an interline agreement with Jet Airways
to connect customers traveling from JetBlue cities from the US to Brussels, Belgium and beyond India.
, to carry JetBlue passengers from Boston's Logan Airport
to Cape Air's destinations throughout Cape Cod and the surrounding islands. The agreement will allow customers on both airlines to purchase seats on both airlines under one reservation. This announcement came the same day that JetBlue announced seasonal service from New York to Nantucket. This codeshare has since expanded to include Cape Air's destinations in the Caribbean via San Juan's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
, as well flights to Key West, Florida via Fort Myers' Southwest Florida International Airport
. The DOT
cited JetBlue $600K (USD) for violating code-share disclosure and Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility rules. JetBlue also has codeshares with Ireland-based Aer Lingus and Germany-based Lufthansa
.
On August 31, 2009, German airline Lufthansa
, parent company Deutsche Lufthansa AG, signed a codeshare agreement with JetBlue Airways. This news followed the decision by Lufthansa's parent company to purchase a stake in JetBlue in 2008. The agreement highlights codeshare agreements on both airlines networks beginning with connecting service between twelve JetBlue destinations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico and Lufthansa's network of 180 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The codeshare agreement will allow JetBlue to place the Lufthansa code (LH) on JetBlue flights. In addition, the new partnership will yield greater benefits to both Lufthansa's "Miles & More
" and JetBlue's "TrueBlue" frequent flyer programs. Initial U.S. cities include Austin, Texas; Buffalo, New York; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Fort Myers, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina; Rochester, New York; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Syracuse, New York; Tampa, Florida; and West Palm Beach, Florida – service out of both New York's JFK and Boston's Logan Airport
.
On Tuesday August 17, 2010, JetBlue and El Al
agreed to a codeshare agreement. This enables people around the United States to fly JetBlue's 61 destinations to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport where they will then connect to an El Al
flight. Each traveler will only need to buy one ticket to admit them on both flights.
On March 2, 2011 South African Airways
announced it will launch a codeshare agreement with JetBlue connecting passengers with up to 20 US destinations from New York-JFK and Washington Dulles Airport.
On March 3, 2011 LAN Airlines
and JetBlue announced the launch of interline agreements that bring new connecting options for travelers flying between major destinations throughout the Americas via New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport
. Through LAN's multiple hubs in South America, JetBlue customers can travel onward to destinations previously unavailable through the airline or other interline partners including Cordoba and Mendoza, Argentina; La Paz and Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Easter Island and Punta Arenas, Chile; and Montevideo, Uruguay. Under the interline agreement, Customers will be able to purchase a single electronic ticket that combines travel on JetBlue and any of the LAN carriers, bringing new options and new destinations to customers of both airlines.
On August 23, 2011, TAM Airlines and JetBlue announced a new alliance that will help travelers who are flying from Brazil to either New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport or Orlando International Airport
make easier connections to other U.S. and Caribbean destinations not served by TAM.
{|
|
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 115%" width=align=
|+ Top cities served by number of domestic passengers (August 2010–July 2011)
|-
! Rank
! City
! Passengers
|-
| 1
|
New York, New York
| 9,417,000
|-
| 2
|
Boston, Massachusetts
| 5,687,000
|-
| 3
|
Orlando, Florida
| 3,812,000
|-
| 4
| Fort Lauderdale, Florida
| 3,198,000
|-
| 5
|
Long Beach, California
| 2,337,000
|-
| 6
|
San Juan, Puerto Rico
| 1,472,000
|-
| 7
| West Palm Beach, Florida
| 1,272,000
|-
| 8
|
Newark, New Jersey
| 1,078,000
|-
| 9
|
Washington (Dulles), D.C.
| 1,056,000
|}
{| class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse;text-align:center"
|+ JetBlue Airways fleet
|-
!rowspan="2"|Aircraft
!rowspan="2"|Total
!rowspan="2"|Orders
!colspan="3"|Seats
!rowspan="2"|Notes
|-
!Y+
!Y
!Total
|-
|Airbus A320-200
|121
|22
|42
|108
|150
|Winglets standard on deliveries from 2013, to be retrofitted to current fleet
|-
|Airbus A320neo
|0
|40
|colspan="2" align=center|TBA
|150
|The airline has not yet announced its engine selection for the new engine option aircraft.
|-
|Airbus A321-200
|0
|30
|colspan="2" align=center|TBA
|190
|Originally 30 A320 Orders but converted to A321 with Winglets.
|-
|Embraer 190
|46
|29
|8
|92
|100
|Winglets, Reducing total fleet to 75
|-
!Total
!167
!121
|colspan="3"|
|}
Nearly every plane in JetBlue's fleet is named with a designation containing some form of the word "blue." Examples include "Absolute Blue," "Big Blue Bus," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Canyon Blue," "Hopelessly devoted to Blue," "Mi Corazon Azul," "Rhapsody in Blue," "Sacre Bleu!," "The name is Blue, JetBlue," and "Whole Lotta Blue." However , there are two exceptions: tail number N190JB is "Luiz F. Kahl," named for the former Chairman of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority
, and tail number N533JB is "Usto Schulz," named for JetBlue's former VP of Safety. Every year employees submit suggestions for the names of the new planes. Past winners have received trips to Toulouse
, France, to tour the Airbus
hangar and fly home aboard the plane that bears their name suggestion.
The only plane that has not been named by a JetBlue employee is tail number N655JB, "Blue 100," which was named by the company in celebration for JetBlue's 100th Airbus A320. Also, the plane has its own original tail fin, unlike the rest of fleet which shares one of the 9 tail fin designs, entitled Stripes, Harlequin, Window Pane, Bubbles, Plaid, Dots, Mosaic, Barcode and Blueberries. Also, tail number N658JB was named " Whoo-Hoo JetBlue! The Official Airline of Springfield " in celebration of the release of The Simpsons Movie
. The plane also features Homer Simpson
giving a thumbs up.
Aircraft N651JB, titled "BetaBlue," features special titles for Yahoo!
and Research In Motion
's BlackBerry
promotion to offer inflight wireless communication aboard the aircraft.
Some long-term maintenance on JetBlue's Airbus A320 aircraft is conducted at Aeroman, a facility in El Salvador owned by Aveos Fleet Performance Inc. At one time, Aeroman was owned by Grupo TACA
, who is also a major Airbus A320 operator. JetBlue also used Aveos's facilities in Winnipeg, Canada until 2007, along with Empire Aero Center in Rome, NY.
In the early years of the airline, founder David Neeleman said he always sat in the last row (row 27) of each Airbus A320 aircraft when flying on his company's airplanes, to demonstrate that pleasing the customer is more important than pleasing the CEO (at the time, seats in the 27th row – since removed from JetBlue's A320 airplanes – did not recline).
In December 2006, JetBlue announced it would remove one more row of seats from each A320, reducing the number of seats per A320 to 150. The airline also revealed that on each A320 it would adjust the remaining rows in the forward half of the cabin, increasing the seat pitch to 38 inches (97 cm), giving passengers more legroom than any other coach carrier. Fleet modifications have been completed . At present, the A320 has a seat pitch of 38 inches (97 cm) in rows 2–5,10 and 11 (Exit rows) and 34 inches (86 cm) in all other rows. The E190 has a seat pitch of 32 inches (81 cm) in rows 1–10, and 33 inches (84 cm) in rows 13–25, with a pitch of 38 inches (97 cm) in the exit rows. The seat width on the A320 is 17.8 inches (45.2 cm), and the seat width on the E190 is 18.25 inches (46.4 cm).
JetBlue’s first major advertising campaign incorporated phrases like “Unbelievable” and “We like you, too”. Full-page newspaper advertisements boasted low-fares, new planes, leather seats, spacious legroom, and a customer-service oriented staff committed to “bringing humanity back to air travel.” With a goal of raising the bar for in-flight experience, JetBlue became the first airline to offer all passengers personalized in-flight entertainment. Flat-screen monitors installed in every seatback allow customers live access to over 20 DIRECTV
channels at no additional cost.
JetBlue attributes their success to their strong business plan, experienced management team, dedicated employees, great product, and “service, service, service”. In their first six months of operation, JetBlue was the number one on-time airline with 80.25% of flights on-time while major airlines averaged 73.6%. JetBlue saw profit in their sixth month of operation and booked over $100 million in flown revenue within their first fiscal year
As JetBlue gained market share, they found a unique positioning where they competed with other low-cost carriers (i.e. Southwest
, AirTran
) as well as major carriers (i.e. Delta
, United
, Continental
). Amenities such as their live in-flight television, free and unlimited snack offerings, comfortable legroom, and unique promotions fostered an image of impeccable customer service that rivaled the major airlines while competitive low fares made them a threat to low-cost no-frills carriers as well.
During the company’s growth stage, advertising messages moved from customer oriented and engaging to less personal slogans and campaigns. Frequent changes in value statement resulted in mixed and frequently wasted marking dollars spent. Slogans varied from “More” to “Happy Jetting” and many other failed attempts.
With a marketing emphasis on customer service and enjoyable in-flight experience, JetBlue has been recognized for their efforts by receiving numerous prestigious rankings and awards.
A new marketing strategy has been partnerships with professional sports teams and venues. As the official airline of the New York Jets
, JetBlue has specially painted the exterior of one of their Airbus A320s (N746JB) in the team's colors. Additionally, JetBlue and MasterCard
have pledged to refund select flight purchases made online at JetBlue.com using a MasterCard. JetBlue has also partnered with various other sports teams and sporting venues in cities they serve.
In October 2010, Mullen Advertising Agency worked with JetBlue to create a new brand campaign to re-emphasize and energize JetBlue’s commitment to their customers with their new “You Above All” campaign. This campaign is meant to build on JetBlue’s “passenger-centric image” by reaffirming the notion that JetBlue “not flying airplanes” but rather “flying people”.
JetBlue also utilizes various forms of advertising media. They use print, online, and television ads as well as advertisements on popular social media sites including Hulu
.com and YouTube.com. JetBlue emphasizes a secondary slogan “If you wouldn’t take it on the ground, don’t take it in the air” poking fun at competitors with hidden fees, little or no amenities, and what JetBlue considers an unacceptable level of customer service.
According to Martin St. George, senior vice president of marketing and commercial strategy at JetBlue, the new “You Above All” campaign was created to get JetBlue back to their “DNA” and speak to the “core of who we are as a brand.” This motto is meant to support their efforts to always put the customer first and “bring humanity back to air travel”.
triggered an “organizational meltdown” leading to an extremely high level of cancelations and controversies (see Incidents and accidents for more details). For example, some passengers were held on board their plane awaiting clearance for take off for nearly 11 hours before they returned to their gate and the flight was canceled.
Various consumer rights organizations and activists called for the creation of a government mandated “Bill of Rights” to protect air travelers from future experiences similar to the one previously described. On February 20, 2007, JetBlue released an apologetic response to the events that had taken place less than a week before with the creation of their Customer Bill of Rights, which offers financial reciprocation if a customer's flight is delayed or canceled.
In September 2009, JetBlue announced changes to its TrueBlue program. Flying with JetBlue at least once a year will prevent point expiration. In the new program, one receives three points for every dollar spent toward a flight, excluding taxes and fees; one earns an additional three points for every dollar spent on a flight if they book online. The price of flights in points will depend on the fare of the flight in U.S. dollars. The new program launched on November 9, 2009.
, New York City. In the summer of 2001 the airline announced that it wanted to take 74000 square foot of space in the Forest Hills Tower. By December 2002 the airline announced that it planned to increase its leased space and use contiguous and efficient floor plates. Steven Cuozzo of the New York Post
said that the JetBlue plan was "possibly the largest office lease" in Queens in 2002. In December 2002 between 600 and 800 JetBlue employees worked at the Forest Hills Tower. Previously the airline headquarters were across the street, at 80–02 Kew Gardens Rd.
In 2009 JetBlue announced that it was looking for a new location for its headquarters. The company began considering moving the headquarters either within the New York City metropolitan area or to the Orlando, Florida
area. In April of that year Helen Marshall, the president of the Borough of Queens, said that the City of New York was trying to keep JetBlue in the city. Her spokesperson, Dan Andrews, said that the mayor's office looked for office space in Queens and in other boroughs. In January 2010 the CEO of JetBlue, Dave Barger, and Governor of Florida Charlie Crist
met at the Governor's Mansion
in Tallahassee, Florida
to discuss a possible headquarters move to Orlando
. Barger said that he anticipated that JetBlue would decide whether to move by March 2010. JetBlue officials stated that if the airline moves its headquarters, it will not happen until 2012, when its lease in the Forest Hills Tower expires. On March 22, 2010 JetBlue announced it will remain in the New York City area. Its new headquarters will be located in the Brewster Building
in Long Island City, in the borough of Queens. Barger stated that the airline decided to keep the headquarters in New York City because of the airline's historical links to New York City, the cost of relocating most of the airline's staff, the airline's desire to retain access to financial markets, and the fact that Aer Lingus
and Lufthansa
, JetBlue's international marketing partners, fly into John F. Kennedy International Airport
. JetBlue plans to combine its Forest Hills and Darien, Connecticut offices, together about 1,000 employees, into about 200000 square foot in the Brewster Building
in Long Island City by mid-2012.
Notable incidents:
Low-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
. The company is headquartered in the Forest Hills
Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area...
neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. Its main base is John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
, also in Queens.
In 2001, JetBlue began a focus city
Focus city
In the airline industry, a focus city is a location that is not a hub, but from which the airline has non-stop flights to several destinations other than its hubs...
operation at Long Beach Airport in California, and another at Boston's Logan International Airport
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...
, in 2004. It also has focus city operations at Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport
Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport
Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport is an international commercial airport located in unincorporated Broward County, Florida, three miles southwest of the central business district of Fort Lauderdale...
, Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...
and at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, three miles southeast of San Juan. Over 4 million passengers board a plane at the airport per year according to FAA reports . It is owned and managed by the Puerto Rico Ports...
in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. The airline mainly serves destinations in the United States, along with flights to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, The Bahamas, Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Mexico. JetBlue serves 70 destinations in 22 states (including Puerto Rico), and eleven countries in the Caribbean, South America and Latin America.
JetBlue maintains a corporate office in , a satellite office in , and its Information Technology center in Garden City, New York
Garden City, New York
Garden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of...
. JetBlue is a non-union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
airline.
According to Skytrax, JetBlue is the highest rated airline in the United States, and the country's only four-star airline.
Founding
David Neeleman
David G. Neeleman is a Brazilian-born American entrepreneur who has founded three commercial airlines, Morris Air, JetBlue Airways and Azul Brazilian Airlines.-Biography:...
founded the company in February 1999, under the name "NewAir." Several of JetBlue's executives, including Neeleman, are former Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
employees. JetBlue started by following Southwest's approach of offering low-cost travel, but sought to distinguish itself by its amenities, such as in-flight entertainment, TV on every seat and Satellite radio. In Neeleman's words, JetBlue looks "to bring humanity back to air travel."
In September 1999, the airline was awarded 75 initial take off/landing slots at John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
, and received formal U.S. authorization in February 2000. It started operations on February 11, 2000, with service to Buffalo
Buffalo Niagara International Airport
Buffalo Niagara International Airport is an airport located in Cheektowaga CDP, Town of Cheektowaga, in Erie County, New York, USA. It is named after the Buffalo – Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The airport serves Buffalo, New York as well as Southern Ontario, Canada...
and Ft. Lauderdale.
JetBlue's founders had set out to call the airline "Taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
" and therefore have a yellow livery to associate the airline with New York. The idea was dropped, however, for several reasons: the negative connotation behind New York City taxis; the ambiguity of the word taxi with regard to air traffic control; and threats from investor JP Morgan to pull its share ($20 million of the total $128 million) of the airline's initial funding unless the name was changed.
9/11 aftermath
JetBlue was one of only a few U.S. airlines that made a profit during the sharp downturn in airline travel following the September 11, 2001, attacks. Since its IPOInitial public offering
An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...
on the NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
stock exchange in 2002, JetBlue has become one of the most popular airline stocks in history and currently has about two billion dollars in market capitalization
Market capitalization
Market capitalization is a measurement of the value of the ownership interest that shareholders hold in a business enterprise. It is equal to the share price times the number of shares outstanding of a publicly traded company...
. Financial results were strong for the airline throughout the 2002–2004 years, and many analysts and journalists lauded the airline for its success.
The airline sector responded to JetBlue's market presence by starting mini-rival carriers: Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
started Song
Song (airline)
Song, LLC was a low-cost "airline within an airline" brand owned and operated by Delta Air Lines.Song's main focus was on leisure traffic between the northeastern United States and Florida, a market where it competed with JetBlue Airways...
, and United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
launched another rival called Ted
Ted (airline)
Ted was one of two "airline within an airline" divisional brands of United Airlines. It targeted vacation locations. Ted targeted to compete in the low cost airline market. In contrast to United's high end divisional "sub-fleeted" brand called United p.s., "Ted" comes from the last three letters...
. Song has since been disbanded and was reabsorbed by Delta Air Lines, and United has discontinued Ted as a separate brand.
In 2002, JetBlue acquired LiveTV
LiveTV
LiveTV is a major provider of airline in-flight entertainment systems. Originally a joint venture of Harris Corporation and BE Aerospace , it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of JetBlue Airways Corporation...
for $41 million in cash and the retirement of $39 million of LiveTV debt. LiveTV equips JetBlue with 36 channels of live DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
satellite TV programming at each seat
Airline seat
An airline seat is a chair on an airliner in which passengers are accommodated for the duration of the journey. Such seats are usually arranged in rows running across the airplane's fuselage...
. Two years later, JetBlue announced it would add 100 channels of XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
, Fox TV programs and 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
movies to its in-flight entertainment.
JetBlue has not yet attempted to raise money by selling snacks during flights, a move that many larger airlines have made on domestic flights and some international flights. JetBlue has also told customers in commercials and print ads that they "encourage you to use the call button", advertising their devotion to customer service. JetBlue is also known for its "letter ads", for example: "Dear New York", and ending with, "Sincerely, JetBlue".
As the airline continued to make record profits, new planes allowed for additional route opportunities. These included JetBlue's first international service, New York City to the Dominican Republic, on June 10, 2004. Additional service to The Bahamas began on November 1, 2004, and service to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
began May 4, 2006. Service to Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
began September 15, 2006.
In 2004, JetBlue began flights from New York City's LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport
LaGuardia Airport is an airport located in the northern part of Queens County on Long Island in the City of New York. The airport is located on the waterfront of Flushing Bay and Bowery Bay, and borders the neighborhoods of Astoria, Jackson Heights and East Elmhurst. The airport was originally...
and added service in 2005 to Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
in , thereby serving all three major New York City area airports. Also in 2005, the company added service between JFK and Boston's Logan Airport
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...
with ten daily flights using its new 100-seat Embraer 190 fixed-wing aircraft
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
. In October 2006 JetBlue announced they would begin service from Stewart International Airport
Stewart International Airport
Stewart International Airport is located in the southern Hudson Valley, west of Newburgh, New York and over north of Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The airport is located in the Town of Newburgh and the Town of New Windsor."." U.S. Census Bureau...
, in Newburgh, New York
Newburgh (town), New York
Newburgh is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The 2010 census determined the population is 29,801. This is the first time ever that the population of the Town of Newburgh officially exceeded that of the adjacent but totally separate municipality known as the city of Newburgh...
. Later, the airline announced new service to Westchester County Airport
Westchester County Airport
Westchester County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located three nautical miles northeast of the central business district of White Plains, in the towns of Harrison, North Castle and Rye Brook.It serves the areas of...
, also known as White Plains, allowing JetBlue access to five of the six New York City area airports.
Developments since 2005
Regardless, the airline continued to plan for growth. It was announced that 36 new aircraft were scheduled for delivery in the year 2006.
For many years, analysts had predicted that JetBlue's growth rate would become unsustainable. Despite this, the airline continued to add planes and routes to the fleet at a brisk pace. In addition in 2006, the IAM (International Association of Machinists
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is an AFL-CIO/CLC trade union representing approx. 646,933 workers as of 2006 in more than 200 industries.-Formation and early history:...
) attempted to unionize JetBlue's "ramp service workers," in a move that was described by JetBlue's COO Dave Barger as "pretty hypocritical," as the IAM opposed JetBlue's creation when it was founded as New Air in 1998. The union organizing petition was dismissed by the National Mediation Board because fewer than 35 percent of eligible employees supported an election.
In February 2006, JetBlue announced its first ever quarterly loss. For 4th quarter 2005, the airline lost $42.4 million, enough to make them unprofitable for the entire year of 2005. The loss was the airline's first since going public in 2002. JetBlue also reported a loss in the 1st quarter 2006. In addition to that, JetBlue forecast a loss for 2006, citing high fuel prices, operating inefficiency, and fleet costs. During the first quarter report, CEO David Neeleman, President Dave Barger, and then-CFO John Owen released JetBlue's "Return to Profitability" ("RTP") plan, stating in detail how they would curtail costs and improve revenue to regain profitability. The plan called for $50 million in annual cost cuts and a push to boost revenue by $30 million. JetBlue Airways moved out of the dark during the second quarter of 2006, beating Wall Street expectations by announcing a net profit of $14 million. That result was flat when compared to JetBlue's results from the same quarter a year ago ($13 million), but it was double Wall Street forecasts of a $7 million profit, Reuters reports. The carrier said cost-cutting and stronger revenue helped it offset higher jet fuel costs. In October 2006, JetBlue announced a net loss of $500,000 for Quarter 3, and a plan to regain that loss by deferring some of their E190 deliveries, and by selling 5 of their A320s.
In December 2006, JetBlue announced another component of the RTP, when they explained the reasoning behind their decision to remove a row of seats off their A320s. The removal of the seats will lighten the aircraft by 904 lb (410 kg), and will reduce the inflight crew size from four to three (per FAA regulation requiring one flight attendant
Flight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
per 50 seats), thus offsetting the lost revenue from the removal of seats, and further lightening the aircraft, resulting in less fuel burned.
In January 2007, JetBlue announced it had returned to profitability with a fourth quarter profit for 2006, reversing a quarterly loss in the year-earlier period. As part of the RTP plan, 2006's full year loss was $1 million compared to 2005's full year loss of $20 million. JetBlue was one of the few major airlines to post a profit in the quarter.
While its financial performance started showing signs of improvement, in February 2007, JetBlue faced a crisis, when a snowstorm hit the Northeast and Midwest, throwing the airline's operations into chaos. Because JetBlue followed the practice of never canceling flights, it desisted from calling flights off, even when the ice storm hit and the airline was forced to keep several planes on the ground. Because of this, passengers were kept waiting at the airports for their flights to take off. In some cases, passengers who had already boarded their planes were kept waiting on the tarmac for several hours and were not allowed to disembark. However, after all this, the airline was eventually forced to cancel most of its flights because of prevailing weather conditions. The fiasco reportedly cost JetBlue $30 million.
On May 10, 2007, JetBlue announced Barger's appointment as CEO, who also retains the position of President. Neeleman, who was named non-executive Chairman of the Board, said "This is a natural evolution of our leadership structure as JetBlue continues to grow. As Chairman of the Board of Directors, I will focus on developing JetBlue's long-term vision and strategy, and how we can continue to be a preferred product in a commodity business."
On July 24, 2007, JetBlue reported that its second-quarter revenue increased to $730 million, compared to $612 in 2006. Second quarter net income grew to $21 million for the quarter, from $14 million the previous year. CEO David Barger said the airline will take delivery of three fewer planes this year and will sell three planes from their current fleet, "slowing capacity growth...to strengthen our balance sheet and facilitate earnings growth", but will continue to add two to four new destinations each year.
In July 2007, the airline partnered with 20th Century Fox's film "The Simpsons Movie" to become the "Official Airline of Springfield." In addition a contest was held in which the grand prize would be a trip on JetBlue to Los Angeles to attend the premiere of the film. The airline's website was also redecorated with characters and their favorite JetBlue destinations and the company was taken over by the show/film's businessman villain Montgomery Burns
Montgomery Burns
Charles Montgomery "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer and previously Christopher Collins. Burns is the evil owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and is Homer...
.
In August 2007, the airline announced the addition of exclusive content from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
in the form of an in-flight video magazine, conducted by Times' journalists and content from NYTimes.com.
On October 11, 2007, JetBlue announced expanded service to the Caribbean with service to St. Maarten and Puerto Plata commencing January 10, 2008. With these additional destinations, JetBlue's service expands to a total of twelve Caribbean/Atlantic destinations including Aruba; Barbados; Bermuda; Cancún; Nassau; Aguadilla, Ponce and San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Santiago and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. JetBlue serves 63 destinations in 20 states, Puerto Rico, and eleven countries in the Caribbean and Latin America.
On November 8, 2007, JetBlue announced the appointment of Ed Barnes as interim CFO, following the resignation of former CFO John Harvey.
On December 13, 2007, JetBlue and German-based Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
announced their intent to sell 19% of JetBlue to Lufthansa, pending approval from US regulators. Following the acquisition, Lufthansa stated they plan to seek operational cooperation with JetBlue. Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
plans to offer connections to JetBlue flights in Boston, New York (JFK), and Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...
.
In the March edition of Airways Magazine, it was announced that JetBlue partnered with Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
and BlackBerry
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...
producer, Research in Motion
Research In Motion
Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
, that the airline would offer free, limited Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
capabilities on N651JB, an Airbus A320-200
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
dubbed "BetaBlue." People can access e-mail with a Wi-Fi capable Blackberry, or use Yahoo!'s e-mail and instant messaging with a Wi-Fi capable laptop.
On March 19, 2008, JetBlue announced the addition of Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
as a gateway focus city to international destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, and South America. New international routes from Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...
include Cancún, Mexico
Cancún
Cancún is a city of international tourism development certified by the UNWTO . Located on the northeast coast of Quintana Roo in southern Mexico, more than 1,700 km from Mexico City, the Project began operations in 1974 as Integrally Planned Center, a pioneer of FONATUR Cancún is a city of...
, Bridgetown, Barbados, Bogotá, Colombia
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
, San José, Costa Rica
San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
. In conjunction with the addition of new routes the airline will continue significant expansion of operations at Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...
including a planned 292-room lodge that will house trainees attending the existing "JetBlue University" training facility.
On April 8, 2008, JetBlue introduced a new "Happy Jetting" brand campaign. The marketing campaign, developed in partnership with JWT New York, emphasizes competitive fares, service and complimentary onboard amenities such as free satellite television and radio, snacks and leather seats.
On May 21, 2008, JetBlue named Joel Peterson chairman and Frank Sica vice chairman of its board of directors, replacing David Neeleman
David Neeleman
David G. Neeleman is a Brazilian-born American entrepreneur who has founded three commercial airlines, Morris Air, JetBlue Airways and Azul Brazilian Airlines.-Biography:...
, who stepped down as CEO in 2007.
On August 4, 2008, the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported that JetBlue would replace their recycled pillows and blankets with an "ecofriendly" pillow and blanket package that passengers would have to purchase for use. Each package will cost $7, and will include a $5 coupon from retailer Bed, Bath and Beyond. This decision is the latest in a series of moves designed to increase revenue. JetBlue told the Associated Press that it expects to collect $40 million from passengers selecting seats with extra legroom and $20 million from passengers paying $15 to check a second bag. JetBlue charges passengers $10–$30 for an extended-leg-room seat depending on the length of the flight.
In September 2008 JetBlue began operating Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
's campaign aircraft, an E190.
On October 13, 2009, the airline unveiled a modification to its livery in commemoration of the upcoming 10th anniversary of the airline in February 2010. Besides a new tail design, the revised livery includes larger "billboard" titles extending down over the passenger windows at the front of the aircraft. The logo word 'jetBlue' will no longer be silver and blue but now a dark, navy blue.
On June 16, 2010, JetBlue began selling snack boxes on Airbus A320 flights over 3 hours, 45 minutes. There are 5 options for $6 each.
In March 22, 2010, JetBlue turned down incentives from the City of Orlando and announced its headquarters would keep its Forest Hills office, start leasing and using a new office in the Brewster Building
Brewster Building (Long Island City)
The Brewster Building is a building at 27-01 Queens Plaza North in Long Island City, New York that was once an assembly plant for Rolls Royce cars and Brewster cars and Brewster Buffalo airplanes and is now the corporate headquarters for JetBlue....
in Long Island City, New York. in Queens Plaza in Long Island City, move its headquarters there in mid-2012, and start a joint branding deal with New York State using the iconic I Love NY
I Love New York
I Love New York is both a logo and a song that are the basis of an advertising campaign and have been used since the mid-1970s to promote tourism in New York City, and later to promote New York State as well. The trademarked logo appears in souvenir shops and brochures throughout the state, some...
logo.
On October 14, 2010, the California Council of the Blind and three individuals with visual impairments have filed a lawsuit against JetBlue Airways in Federal Court on allegations that JetBlue's website and airport kiosks are not accessible.
On October 18, 2011, JetBlue announced that Chief Financial Officer Ed Barnes had resigned effective immediately. The company's treasurer, Mark Powers, was appointed interim CFO until a replacement for Barnes could be found.
JetBlue's JFK Terminal 5
On October 22, 2008 JetBlue opened its new primary hub at John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
(JFK), Terminal 5, or simply T5. The mostly new terminal, costing approximately $800 million partially encircles the historic TWA Flight Center
TWA Flight Center
The TWA Flight Center or Trans World Flight Center, opened in 1962 as a standalone terminal at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport .for Trans World Airlines...
, the former Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
terminal designed by Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect and industrial designer of the 20th century famous for varying his style according to the demands of the project: simple, sweeping, arching structural curves or machine-like rationalism.-Biography:Eero Saarinen shared the same birthday as his father,...
, which remains closed. According to the plan, passengers will eventually be able to check-in for flights in the landmark building, then transfer to the new structure via the original passenger departing-arrival tubes from Saarinen's original terminal and its 1969 addition by Roche-Dinkeloo
Roche-Dinkeloo
Roche-Dinkeloo, otherwise known as Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates LLC , is an architectural firm based in Hamden, Connecticut founded in 1966....
.
The first flight arrived from Bob Hope Airport
Bob Hope Airport
Bob Hope Airport is a public airport located 3 miles northwest of the central business district of Burbank, a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States...
(B6 #358) at 5:06 am followed by arrivals from Oakland International Airport
Oakland International Airport
Oakland International Airport , also known as Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, is a public airport located south of the central business district of Oakland, a city in Alameda County, California, United States...
and Long Beach Airport, respectively. The last flight to operate out of T6 was a departure to Rafael Hernández Airport
Rafael Hernández Airport
Rafael Hernández Airport is an airport located in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It is named after the Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernández Marín. The airport is the second international airport in Puerto Rico in the region of Porta del Sol, Puerto Rico's west coast.Rafael Hernandez Airport mainly...
in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Aguadilla , founded in 1775 by Luis de Córdova, is a city located in the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, north of Aguada, and Moca and west of Isabela. Aguadilla is spread over 15 wards and Aguadilla Pueblo...
, departing at 11:59 pm
Awards
In October 2007, JetBlue was named the number one U.S. domestic airline by Conde Nast TravelerCondé Nast Traveler
Condé Nast Traveler is a US magazine published by Condé Nast. It has its origins in a mailing sent out by the Diners Club club beginning in 1953, listing locations that would take the card. It began taking advertising in 1955. In order to attract more advertisers, it became a full-fledged magazine,...
magazine's "Readers' Choice Awards" for the sixth year in a row.
On June 8, 2011, JetBlue ranked 'Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Low Cost Carriers in North America' by J.D. Power and Associates
J.D. Power and Associates
J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm founded in 1968 by James David Power III. The firm conducts surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality, and buyer behavior for industries ranging from cars to marketing and advertising firms. The firm is best known for...
, a customer satisfaction recognition received for the seventh year in a row.
Jetblue is currently ranked as 4-star low-cost carrier by Skytrax, and is the only airline in the United States to be ranked above 3 stars.
Destinations
JetBlue Airways flies to 70 destinations in multiple countries, including ArubaAruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, Colombia, Costa Rica, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Sint Maarten, and the United States, including Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. Additional international service between Saint Lucia (UVF) and New York, NY (JFK) began October 26, 2009, and Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
(KIN) and New York, NY (JFK) began October 30, 2009.
Pittsburgh International Airport
Pittsburgh International Airport , formerly Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Greater Pittsburgh International Airport and commonly referred to as Pittsburgh International, is a joint civil–military international airport located in the Pittsburgh suburb of Findlay Township, approximately west of...
, Portland (Maine)
Portland International Jetport
Portland International Jetport is a public airport located two miles west of the central business district of Portland, in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. It is owned by the city of Portland...
, Charlotte
Charlotte/Douglas International Airport
Charlotte Douglas International Airport is a joint civil-military public international airport located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Established in 1935 as Charlotte Municipal Airport, in 1954 the airport was renamed Douglas Municipal Airport after former Charlotte mayor Ben Elbert Douglas, Sr...
, Raleigh
Raleigh-Durham International Airport
Raleigh-Durham International Airport is a public international airport located 4.5 miles northeast of the town of Morrisville in suburban Wake County, North Carolina, United States. The airport covers and operates three runways, providing direct service to 40 domestic and international...
, Nashville
Nashville International Airport
Nashville International Airport is a joint civil-military airport in southeastern Nashville, Tennessee. The IATA Airport Code BNA is derived from the early name of the facility—Berry Field, NAshville. Berry Field was the name of the airport until 1988, when the name was changed to reflect...
, Bermuda
Bermuda International Airport
L.F. Wade International Airport , formerly named Bermuda International Airport, is the sole airport serving Bermuda, a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. It is located in the parish of St. George's and is northeast of Bermuda's capital city of Hamilton. In 2006, L.F. Wade...
, and Aruba
Queen Beatrix International Airport
Queen Beatrix International Airport , in Oranjestad, Aruba, is an aviation facility. It has flight services to the United States, most countries in the Caribbean, the northern coastal countries of South America, Canada and some parts of Europe, notably the Netherlands...
. JetBlue received authority to serve Cancún
Cancún International Airport
Cancún International Airport is located in Cancún, Quintana Roo, on the Caribbean coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. It is Mexico's second busiest airport, after Mexico City International Airport in Mexico City, but the biggest in Mexico and Latin America for International passengers...
, Mexico, after having competed for the route against Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
and USA 3000. JetBlue also began service to Houston-Hobby
William P. Hobby Airport
William P. Hobby Airport is a public airport in Houston, Texas, located from Downtown Houston. The airport covers and has four runways. Hobby Airport is Houston's oldest commercial airport and was the city's primary air terminal until the opening of Houston Intercontinental Airport in 1969...
, Sarasota
Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport
Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport is an airport located between Bradenton and Sarasota, Florida. The airport is shared by both Manatee County and Sarasota County . Most airlines refer to the airport on destination maps and flight status displays as just "Sarasota", as that is the more...
, Columbus
Port Columbus International Airport
Port Columbus International Airport , commonly shortened to Port Columbus, is a Class C international airport located east of downtown Columbus, Ohio, USA. It is managed by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which also oversees operations at Rickenbacker International Airport and Bolton Field...
, and Tucson
Tucson International Airport
Tucson International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located six miles south of the central business district of Tucson, in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and is the second largest and busiest airport in Arizona, after Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix.- Overview...
; Service to Columbus, Tucson, and Nashville have since been discontinued.
Prior to the passage of the Wright Amendment Reform Act of 2006, JetBlue expressed an interest in serving Dallas Love Field's customers if the Wright Amendment
Wright Amendment
The Wright Amendment of 1979 is a federal law governing traffic at Dallas Love Field, an airport in Dallas, Texas. It originally limited most nonstop flights to destinations within Texas and neighboring states. The limits began phasing out in 1997 and 2005...
was repealed. It has also expressed refusal to serve Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is located between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, and is the busiest airport in the U.S. state of Texas...
on the grounds that it does not wish to contend with American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
, which has a dominating presence there.
On August 17, 2006, service between New York JFK and Washington-Dulles commenced, finalizing JetBlue's plan to connect the three major Northeast cities of Boston, New York, and Washington DC, and also putting pressure on the airlines that operate those routes, namely Delta Shuttle
Delta Shuttle
Delta Shuttle is the brand name for Delta Air Lines' air shuttle service between LaGuardia Airport in New York City, Logan International Airport in Boston, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport serving Washington, D.C. and Chicago-O'Hare International Airport...
and US Airways Shuttle. Washington-Dulles, as of November 21, 2011, offers six nonstop destinations, and with the addition of service to New York-JFK, many destinations via connection in New York.
In October 2006, JetBlue applied to the FAA for landing rights at Chicago's O'Hare Airport for eight flights per day. Almost immediately, United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
filed an objection, claiming JetBlue "did not follow proper procedures and should be denied." On October 16, 2006, JetBlue received approval from the FAA to land at O'Hare, though the number of slots requested was cut in half to four flights per day. JetBlue also bought three additional O'Hare slots from other carriers, and service to New York/JFK and Long Beach started January 4, 2007.
JetBlue started service to/from White Plains, New York
Westchester County Airport
Westchester County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located three nautical miles northeast of the central business district of White Plains, in the towns of Harrison, North Castle and Rye Brook.It serves the areas of...
on March 28, 2007. With this addition, JetBlue now serves five out of six airports in the New York City area. JetBlue announced in the Fall of 2007 that it was pulling out of Columbus and Nashville.
On September 3, 2008, JetBlue pulled out of Ontario International Airport
Ontario International Airport
LA/Ontario International Airport , formerly Ontario International Airport, is a public airport located east of the central business district of Ontario, a city in San Bernardino County, California, USA. This airport is owned and operated by the Los Angeles World Airports , an agency of the city...
, a part of LAWA. Service and growth out of Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
, Bob Hope Burbank International Airport and Long Beach Municipal Airport continues to be a focus for the airline. Earlier that year, JetBlue also ended service out of Tucson International Airport, Arizona.
In conjunction with the airline's focus cities, JetBlue serves a significant number of destinations from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is a mixed-use commercial airport located southeast of the central business district of Austin, Texas, United States. It covers and has two runways and three helipads.The airport began passenger service on May 23, 1999...
, Las Vegas International Airport, Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, three miles southeast of San Juan. Over 4 million passengers board a plane at the airport per year according to FAA reports . It is owned and managed by the Puerto Rico Ports...
, Oakland International Airport
Oakland International Airport
Oakland International Airport , also known as Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, is a public airport located south of the central business district of Oakland, a city in Alameda County, California, United States...
, Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport is a public airport in Dulles, Virginia, 26 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C. The airport serves the Baltimore-Washington-Northern Virginia metropolitan area centered on the District of Columbia. It is named after John Foster Dulles, Secretary of...
and Southwest Florida International Airport
Southwest Florida International Airport
-Statistics:-Accidents and incidents:* November 28, 2007 - A single-engine fixed wing aircraft crashed about 9:20 a.m. one mile west of Runway 6. The crash killed the pilot...
.
On April 19, 2010, JetBlue announced new service from Bradley International Airport
Bradley International Airport
Bradley International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Windsor Locks on the border with East Granby and Suffield, in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is owned by the State of Connecticut....
in Hartford, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
starting on November 17, 2010. They will offer twice daily non-stops (four daily departures) to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. In June 2011, JetBlue announced a nonstop daily flight between Hartford/Springfield and San Juan,PR beginning January 5, 2012. On October 3, 2011, JetBlue again announced another flight from Hartford, announcing a daily non-stop flight to West Palm Beach,FL starting January 12, 2012.
On December 23, 2010, JetBlue announced new service from New York JFK to Marthas Vineyard Airport starting the summer of 2011. Starting in 2007, JetBlue offered service from New York JFK to Nantucket Memorial Airport
Nantucket Memorial Airport
Nantucket Memorial Airport is a public airport on the south side of the island of Nantucket in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The airport is owned by the Town of Nantucket and is located three miles southeast of the town...
. The JFK-MVY route will be served by the Embraer 190, as it does JFK-ACK. According to Cape Cod Times
Cape Cod Times
The Cape Cod Times is a broadsheet daily newspaper serving Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States. It is owned by the Dow Jones Local Media Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is also the sister paper of the weekly The Barnstable Patriot.-History:The paper...
, JetBlue is discussing possibly expanding service to Barnstable Municipal Airport
Barnstable Municipal Airport
Barnstable Municipal Airport , also known as Boardman/Polando Field, is a public airport located on Cape Cod, one mile north of the central business district of Hyannis, in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. This airport is publicly owned by Town of Barnstable...
on Cape Cod, possibly in 2012.
Alliances
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair...
. The alliance will facilitate easy transfers to both airlines' customers, but will not allow either airline to sell seats on the other airline, unlike traditional codeshare alliances, meaning customers must make individual reservations with both carriers, the newspaper said. On February 1, 2008, JetBlue announced the details of this alliance. Passengers will be able to connect between Aer Lingus and JetBlue at New York/JFK
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
on a single ticket, which can be booked through both airlines' websites. The booking will be started with one airline, and then transferred to the other airline's website to complete the booking. CEO David Barger was quoted as saying if this alliance is successful, JetBlue may be interested in partnering with other international carriers.
On March 12, 2008, Financial Times reported Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
revealing its plans made with JetBlue. Lufthansa and JetBlue are reported to be investigating linking reservation systems and frequent flyer programs. By making use of JetBlue's North America routes as a feeder network, Lufthansa would be in a position to operate a quasi-hub at New York-JFK
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
.
, JetBlue transitioned reservation systems from OpenSkies to Sabre per agreement with European partner Lufthansa. The new system allows JetBlue to codeshare and transfer bags and passengers better between the two carriers.
According to Dave Barger, CEO of JetBlue Airways, the airline is currently considering becoming a member of a global airline alliance. Since Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
owns a 19% stake in JetBlue, Star Alliance
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
seems to be the most likely choice. JetBlue already partners Lufthansa, as well as Aer Lingus, which currently is not part of an alliance.
On Tuesday March 30, 2010, rumors surfaced in online aviation forums over a interline agreement between JetBlue Airways and American Airlines. On March 31, an official announcement was made by the airlines. The agreement includes the interlining
Interlining
Interlining is a voluntary commercial agreement between individual airlines to handle passengers traveling on itineraries that require multiple airlines.-Agreements:...
of routes between the airlines. Eighteen of JetBlue's destinations that are not served by American and twelve of American's international destinations from John F. Kennedy International Airport are included in the agreement. The deal began in July 2010. Also, American is giving JetBlue 16 slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for 8 round trips and 2 at Westchester County Airport. In return, JetBlue is giving American 12 slots or 6 round trips at JFK Airport.
On Friday May 7, 2010, JetBlue announced an interline agreement with South African Airways
South African Airways
South African Airways is the national flag carrier and largest airline of South Africa, with headquarters in Airways Park on the grounds of OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. The airline flies to 36 destinations worldwide from its hub at OR Tambo International...
to take effect on May 12, 2010. The agreement enables passengers to travel on a single electronic ticket with both carriers, and permits the through-checking of baggage in both directions.
On March 22, 2011, JetBlue announced a interline agreement with Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited is a British airline owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines...
on transatlantic travel.
On November 2, 2011, JetBlue announced an interline agreement with Jet Airways
Jet Airways
Jet Airways is a major Indian airline based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is India's largest airline and the market leader in the domestic sector. It operates over 400 flights daily to 76 destinations worldwide. Its main hub is Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, with secondary hubs at Delhi,...
to connect customers traveling from JetBlue cities from the US to Brussels, Belgium and beyond India.
Codeshares
On February 14, 2007, JetBlue announced it had entered its first codeshare agreement, with Cape AirCape Air
Hyannis Air Service, Inc., operating as Cape Air, is an airline headquartered at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. It operates scheduled passenger services in the Northeast, Florida, the Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic States, Midwest, and Micronesia...
, to carry JetBlue passengers from Boston's Logan Airport
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...
to Cape Air's destinations throughout Cape Cod and the surrounding islands. The agreement will allow customers on both airlines to purchase seats on both airlines under one reservation. This announcement came the same day that JetBlue announced seasonal service from New York to Nantucket. This codeshare has since expanded to include Cape Air's destinations in the Caribbean via San Juan's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, three miles southeast of San Juan. Over 4 million passengers board a plane at the airport per year according to FAA reports . It is owned and managed by the Puerto Rico Ports...
, as well flights to Key West, Florida via Fort Myers' Southwest Florida International Airport
Southwest Florida International Airport
-Statistics:-Accidents and incidents:* November 28, 2007 - A single-engine fixed wing aircraft crashed about 9:20 a.m. one mile west of Runway 6. The crash killed the pilot...
. The DOT
United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
cited JetBlue $600K (USD) for violating code-share disclosure and Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility rules. JetBlue also has codeshares with Ireland-based Aer Lingus and Germany-based Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
.
On August 31, 2009, German airline Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
, parent company Deutsche Lufthansa AG, signed a codeshare agreement with JetBlue Airways. This news followed the decision by Lufthansa's parent company to purchase a stake in JetBlue in 2008. The agreement highlights codeshare agreements on both airlines networks beginning with connecting service between twelve JetBlue destinations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico and Lufthansa's network of 180 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The codeshare agreement will allow JetBlue to place the Lufthansa code (LH) on JetBlue flights. In addition, the new partnership will yield greater benefits to both Lufthansa's "Miles & More
Miles & More
Miles & More is the largest traveler loyalty program in Europe with 20 million members as of February 2011. It offers rewards to passengers of the Star Alliance travelling on certain types of tickets...
" and JetBlue's "TrueBlue" frequent flyer programs. Initial U.S. cities include Austin, Texas; Buffalo, New York; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Fort Myers, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina; Rochester, New York; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Syracuse, New York; Tampa, Florida; and West Palm Beach, Florida – service out of both New York's JFK and Boston's Logan Airport
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...
.
On Tuesday August 17, 2010, JetBlue and El Al
El Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd , trading as El Al , is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport...
agreed to a codeshare agreement. This enables people around the United States to fly JetBlue's 61 destinations to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport where they will then connect to an El Al
El Al
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd , trading as El Al , is the flag carrier of Israel. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and cargo flights to Europe, North America, Africa and the Far East from its main base in Ben Gurion International Airport...
flight. Each traveler will only need to buy one ticket to admit them on both flights.
On March 2, 2011 South African Airways
South African Airways
South African Airways is the national flag carrier and largest airline of South Africa, with headquarters in Airways Park on the grounds of OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. The airline flies to 36 destinations worldwide from its hub at OR Tambo International...
announced it will launch a codeshare agreement with JetBlue connecting passengers with up to 20 US destinations from New York-JFK and Washington Dulles Airport.
On March 3, 2011 LAN Airlines
LAN Airlines
LAN Airlines S.A. is an airline based in Santiago, Chile. LAN is currently positioned amongst the largest airlines in Latin America, serving Latin America, United States, the Caribbean, Oceania, and Europe. It is a member of the Oneworld airline alliance...
and JetBlue announced the launch of interline agreements that bring new connecting options for travelers flying between major destinations throughout the Americas via New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
. Through LAN's multiple hubs in South America, JetBlue customers can travel onward to destinations previously unavailable through the airline or other interline partners including Cordoba and Mendoza, Argentina; La Paz and Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Easter Island and Punta Arenas, Chile; and Montevideo, Uruguay. Under the interline agreement, Customers will be able to purchase a single electronic ticket that combines travel on JetBlue and any of the LAN carriers, bringing new options and new destinations to customers of both airlines.
On August 23, 2011, TAM Airlines and JetBlue announced a new alliance that will help travelers who are flying from Brazil to either New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport or Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...
make easier connections to other U.S. and Caribbean destinations not served by TAM.
{|
|
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 115%" width=align=
|+ Top cities served by number of domestic passengers (August 2010–July 2011)
|-
! Rank
! City
! Passengers
|-
| 1
|
New York, New YorkJohn F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
| 9,417,000
|-
| 2
|
Boston, MassachusettsLogan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...
| 5,687,000
|-
| 3
|
Orlando, FloridaOrlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...
| 3,812,000
|-
| 4
|
Fort Lauderdale, FloridaFort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport
Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport is an international commercial airport located in unincorporated Broward County, Florida, three miles southwest of the central business district of Fort Lauderdale...
| 3,198,000
|-
| 5
|
Long Beach, California| 2,337,000
|-
| 6
|
San Juan, Puerto RicoLuis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, three miles southeast of San Juan. Over 4 million passengers board a plane at the airport per year according to FAA reports . It is owned and managed by the Puerto Rico Ports...
| 1,472,000
|-
| 7
|
West Palm Beach, FloridaPalm Beach Airport
Palm Beach Airport can refer to:*Palm Beach County Glades Airport, Palm Beach, Florida, USA*Palm Beach County Park Airport, Palm Beach, Florida, USA*Palm Beach International Airport, Palm Beach, Florida, USA...
| 1,272,000
|-
| 8
|
Newark, New Jersey| 1,078,000
|-
| 9
|
Washington (Dulles), D.C.Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport is a public airport in Dulles, Virginia, 26 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C. The airport serves the Baltimore-Washington-Northern Virginia metropolitan area centered on the District of Columbia. It is named after John Foster Dulles, Secretary of...
| 1,056,000
|}
Fleet
As of May 2011, the JetBlue Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft with an average age of 6 years:{| class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse;text-align:center"
|+ JetBlue Airways fleet
|-
!rowspan="2"|Aircraft
!rowspan="2"|Total
!rowspan="2"|Orders
!colspan="3"|Seats
!rowspan="2"|Notes
|-
!Y+
!Y
!Total
|-
|Airbus A320-200
|121
|22
|42
|108
|150
|Winglets standard on deliveries from 2013, to be retrofitted to current fleet
|-
|Airbus A320neo
|0
|40
|colspan="2" align=center|TBA
|150
|The airline has not yet announced its engine selection for the new engine option aircraft.
|-
|Airbus A321-200
|0
|30
|colspan="2" align=center|TBA
|190
|Originally 30 A320 Orders but converted to A321 with Winglets.
|-
|Embraer 190
|46
|29
|8
|92
|100
|Winglets, Reducing total fleet to 75
|-
!Total
!167
!121
|colspan="3"|
|}
Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority
The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority is a public authority responsible for the public transportation oversight of Erie and Niagara counties in the State of New York...
, and tail number N533JB is "Usto Schulz," named for JetBlue's former VP of Safety. Every year employees submit suggestions for the names of the new planes. Past winners have received trips to Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, France, to tour the Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
hangar and fly home aboard the plane that bears their name suggestion.
The only plane that has not been named by a JetBlue employee is tail number N655JB, "Blue 100," which was named by the company in celebration for JetBlue's 100th Airbus A320. Also, the plane has its own original tail fin, unlike the rest of fleet which shares one of the 9 tail fin designs, entitled Stripes, Harlequin, Window Pane, Bubbles, Plaid, Dots, Mosaic, Barcode and Blueberries. Also, tail number N658JB was named " Whoo-Hoo JetBlue! The Official Airline of Springfield " in celebration of the release of The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. The film was directed by David Silverman, and stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress...
. The plane also features Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
giving a thumbs up.
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
and Research In Motion
Research In Motion
Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
's BlackBerry
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...
promotion to offer inflight wireless communication aboard the aircraft.
Some long-term maintenance on JetBlue's Airbus A320 aircraft is conducted at Aeroman, a facility in El Salvador owned by Aveos Fleet Performance Inc. At one time, Aeroman was owned by Grupo TACA
Grupo TACA
TACA is the trade name "brand" comprising a group of five independently IATA-coded and -owned Central American airlines, whose operations are combined to function as one and a number of other independently owned and IATA-coded regional airlines which code-share and feed the TACA brand system...
, who is also a major Airbus A320 operator. JetBlue also used Aveos's facilities in Winnipeg, Canada until 2007, along with Empire Aero Center in Rome, NY.
In the early years of the airline, founder David Neeleman said he always sat in the last row (row 27) of each Airbus A320 aircraft when flying on his company's airplanes, to demonstrate that pleasing the customer is more important than pleasing the CEO (at the time, seats in the 27th row – since removed from JetBlue's A320 airplanes – did not recline).
In December 2006, JetBlue announced it would remove one more row of seats from each A320, reducing the number of seats per A320 to 150. The airline also revealed that on each A320 it would adjust the remaining rows in the forward half of the cabin, increasing the seat pitch to 38 inches (97 cm), giving passengers more legroom than any other coach carrier. Fleet modifications have been completed . At present, the A320 has a seat pitch of 38 inches (97 cm) in rows 2–5,10 and 11 (Exit rows) and 34 inches (86 cm) in all other rows. The E190 has a seat pitch of 32 inches (81 cm) in rows 1–10, and 33 inches (84 cm) in rows 13–25, with a pitch of 38 inches (97 cm) in the exit rows. The seat width on the A320 is 17.8 inches (45.2 cm), and the seat width on the E190 is 18.25 inches (46.4 cm).
Introduction Years (1998 to 2001)
Established in 1998, JetBlue Airways did not begin operational service until February 2000. With the goal of being “New York’s new low-fare, hometown airline,” JetBlue set out to offer a product superior to competitors at affordable prices. On average, JetBlue’s customers saved 65% compared to current competitor offerings.JetBlue’s first major advertising campaign incorporated phrases like “Unbelievable” and “We like you, too”. Full-page newspaper advertisements boasted low-fares, new planes, leather seats, spacious legroom, and a customer-service oriented staff committed to “bringing humanity back to air travel.” With a goal of raising the bar for in-flight experience, JetBlue became the first airline to offer all passengers personalized in-flight entertainment. Flat-screen monitors installed in every seatback allow customers live access to over 20 DIRECTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
channels at no additional cost.
JetBlue attributes their success to their strong business plan, experienced management team, dedicated employees, great product, and “service, service, service”. In their first six months of operation, JetBlue was the number one on-time airline with 80.25% of flights on-time while major airlines averaged 73.6%. JetBlue saw profit in their sixth month of operation and booked over $100 million in flown revenue within their first fiscal year
Establishing the Brand (2002 to 2009)
As JetBlue experienced growth, their marketing strategy adapted to suit their and their customers needs. In 2002, JetBlue remained profitable after the negative effects an feelings towards air travel as a whole in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. Building a group of loyal JetBlue customers, management created the “True Blue” loyalty program to reward the airline’s most frequent travelers. Rather than rewarding customers with industry-standard “miles”, JetBlue created their own “points” system where trips were classified into short, medium, or long haul trips based on distance flown. Each type of trip was then awarded a set amount “points”. For every 100 points earned, a “True Blue” member earned a roundtrip flight anywhere JetBlue served.As JetBlue gained market share, they found a unique positioning where they competed with other low-cost carriers (i.e. Southwest
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
, AirTran
AirTran Airways
AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of the Dallas, Texas-based Southwest Airlines, is an American low-cost airline headquartered in Orlando, Florida. AirTran operates over 650 daily flights , primarily in the eastern and midwestern United States...
) as well as major carriers (i.e. Delta
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
, United
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
, Continental
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
). Amenities such as their live in-flight television, free and unlimited snack offerings, comfortable legroom, and unique promotions fostered an image of impeccable customer service that rivaled the major airlines while competitive low fares made them a threat to low-cost no-frills carriers as well.
During the company’s growth stage, advertising messages moved from customer oriented and engaging to less personal slogans and campaigns. Frequent changes in value statement resulted in mixed and frequently wasted marking dollars spent. Slogans varied from “More” to “Happy Jetting” and many other failed attempts.
With a marketing emphasis on customer service and enjoyable in-flight experience, JetBlue has been recognized for their efforts by receiving numerous prestigious rankings and awards.
Current Marketing Campaign (2010)
JetBlue has continued to grow within the airline industry with customer service and in-flight experience as their key advantage and core competency over competitors. The JetBlue name has become synonymous with customer service. In order to continue reaching customers, JetBlue has begun employing different marketing strategies.A new marketing strategy has been partnerships with professional sports teams and venues. As the official airline of the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, JetBlue has specially painted the exterior of one of their Airbus A320s (N746JB) in the team's colors. Additionally, JetBlue and MasterCard
MasterCard
Mastercard Incorporated or MasterCard Worldwide is an American multinational financial services corporation with its headquarters in the MasterCard International Global Headquarters, Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States...
have pledged to refund select flight purchases made online at JetBlue.com using a MasterCard. JetBlue has also partnered with various other sports teams and sporting venues in cities they serve.
In October 2010, Mullen Advertising Agency worked with JetBlue to create a new brand campaign to re-emphasize and energize JetBlue’s commitment to their customers with their new “You Above All” campaign. This campaign is meant to build on JetBlue’s “passenger-centric image” by reaffirming the notion that JetBlue “not flying airplanes” but rather “flying people”.
JetBlue also utilizes various forms of advertising media. They use print, online, and television ads as well as advertisements on popular social media sites including Hulu
Hulu
Hulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...
.com and YouTube.com. JetBlue emphasizes a secondary slogan “If you wouldn’t take it on the ground, don’t take it in the air” poking fun at competitors with hidden fees, little or no amenities, and what JetBlue considers an unacceptable level of customer service.
According to Martin St. George, senior vice president of marketing and commercial strategy at JetBlue, the new “You Above All” campaign was created to get JetBlue back to their “DNA” and speak to the “core of who we are as a brand.” This motto is meant to support their efforts to always put the customer first and “bring humanity back to air travel”.
Customer Bill of Rights
In February 2007, a Valentine's Day stormFebruary 2007 North America Winter Storm
The February 2007 North America Winter Storm was a massive winter storm that affected most of the eastern half of North America, starting on February 12, 2007 and peaking on Valentine's Day, February 14...
triggered an “organizational meltdown” leading to an extremely high level of cancelations and controversies (see Incidents and accidents for more details). For example, some passengers were held on board their plane awaiting clearance for take off for nearly 11 hours before they returned to their gate and the flight was canceled.
Various consumer rights organizations and activists called for the creation of a government mandated “Bill of Rights” to protect air travelers from future experiences similar to the one previously described. On February 20, 2007, JetBlue released an apologetic response to the events that had taken place less than a week before with the creation of their Customer Bill of Rights, which offers financial reciprocation if a customer's flight is delayed or canceled.
TrueBlue
JetBlue's frequent-flyer program is called TrueBlue. Under the former TrueBlue program, flights were worth two, four or six points based on distance of the flights, and double points were awarded for flights booked online.In September 2009, JetBlue announced changes to its TrueBlue program. Flying with JetBlue at least once a year will prevent point expiration. In the new program, one receives three points for every dollar spent toward a flight, excluding taxes and fees; one earns an additional three points for every dollar spent on a flight if they book online. The price of flights in points will depend on the fare of the flight in U.S. dollars. The new program launched on November 9, 2009.
Headquarters
JetBlue has its headquarters in the Forest Hills Tower in Forest Hills, QueensForest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area...
, New York City. In the summer of 2001 the airline announced that it wanted to take 74000 square foot of space in the Forest Hills Tower. By December 2002 the airline announced that it planned to increase its leased space and use contiguous and efficient floor plates. Steven Cuozzo of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
said that the JetBlue plan was "possibly the largest office lease" in Queens in 2002. In December 2002 between 600 and 800 JetBlue employees worked at the Forest Hills Tower. Previously the airline headquarters were across the street, at 80–02 Kew Gardens Rd.
In 2009 JetBlue announced that it was looking for a new location for its headquarters. The company began considering moving the headquarters either within the New York City metropolitan area or to the Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
area. In April of that year Helen Marshall, the president of the Borough of Queens, said that the City of New York was trying to keep JetBlue in the city. Her spokesperson, Dan Andrews, said that the mayor's office looked for office space in Queens and in other boroughs. In January 2010 the CEO of JetBlue, Dave Barger, and Governor of Florida Charlie Crist
Charlie Crist
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Crist, Jr. is an American politician who was the 44th Governor of Florida. Prior to his election as governor, Crist previously served as Florida State Senator, Education Commissioner, and Attorney General...
met at the Governor's Mansion
Florida Governor's Mansion
The Florida Governor's Mansion is a historic U.S. residence in Tallahassee, Florida. On July 20, 2006, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The mansion, which was designed to resemble Andrew Jackson's Hermitage, was designed by Marion Sims Wyeth, who also designed...
in Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
to discuss a possible headquarters move to Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. Barger said that he anticipated that JetBlue would decide whether to move by March 2010. JetBlue officials stated that if the airline moves its headquarters, it will not happen until 2012, when its lease in the Forest Hills Tower expires. On March 22, 2010 JetBlue announced it will remain in the New York City area. Its new headquarters will be located in the Brewster Building
Brewster Building (Long Island City)
The Brewster Building is a building at 27-01 Queens Plaza North in Long Island City, New York that was once an assembly plant for Rolls Royce cars and Brewster cars and Brewster Buffalo airplanes and is now the corporate headquarters for JetBlue....
in Long Island City, in the borough of Queens. Barger stated that the airline decided to keep the headquarters in New York City because of the airline's historical links to New York City, the cost of relocating most of the airline's staff, the airline's desire to retain access to financial markets, and the fact that Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair...
and Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
, JetBlue's international marketing partners, fly into John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
. JetBlue plans to combine its Forest Hills and Darien, Connecticut offices, together about 1,000 employees, into about 200000 square foot in the Brewster Building
Brewster Building (Long Island City)
The Brewster Building is a building at 27-01 Queens Plaza North in Long Island City, New York that was once an assembly plant for Rolls Royce cars and Brewster cars and Brewster Buffalo airplanes and is now the corporate headquarters for JetBlue....
in Long Island City by mid-2012.
Incidents and accidents
JetBlue has had several incidents involving its planes, although none have resulted in any hull losses or fatalities.- On September 21, 2005, Flight 292JetBlue Airways Flight 292JetBlue Airways Flight 292 was a scheduled flight from Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. On September 21, 2005, flight 292 executed an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport after the nose wheels jammed in an...
(N536JB "Canyon Blue") performed an emergency landing at Los Angeles International AirportLos Angeles International AirportLos Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
following a failure of the front landing gear during retraction when it turned 90 degrees. The plane landed after holding for about three hours to burn fuel and lighten the aircraft. The aircraft came to a stop without incident on runway 25L, the third-longest runway at LAX. The only apparent damage to the plane upon landing was the destruction of the front wheels, which were ground down to almost semicircles, and the tires; the front landing strut held. - On August 9, 2010, as Flight 1052 from Pittsburgh International AirportPittsburgh International AirportPittsburgh International Airport , formerly Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Greater Pittsburgh International Airport and commonly referred to as Pittsburgh International, is a joint civil–military international airport located in the Pittsburgh suburb of Findlay Township, approximately west of...
prepared to disembark its passengers at John F. Kennedy International AirportJohn F. Kennedy International AirportJohn F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
, Steven SlaterJetBlue flight attendant incidentThe JetBlue flight attendant incident was an altercation that occurred after JetBlue Airways Flight 1052, a flight from Pittsburgh to New York City on August 9, 2010, had landed...
, a JetBlue flight attendant, claimed to have been in a confrontation with a passenger who refused to remain seated during the safety instruction. Slater claims he was struck on the head by her luggage as it was being removed from the overhead storage bin. Several passengers have disputed his account. He cursed at the passengers over the aircraft's public address system, after which he activated the emergency chute, grabbed two beers, exited via the now-inflated evacuation slideEvacuation slideAn evacuation slide is an inflatable slide used to evacuate an aircraft quickly. An escape slide is required on all commercial aircraft where the door sill height is such that, in the event of an evacuation, passengers would be unable to "step down" from the door uninjured An evacuation slide is...
, ran to his parked car, and drove home where he was later arrested.
See also
- Air transportation in the United States
- List of companies of the United States
- List of airlines of the United States
- List of airports in the United States
- Transportation in the United StatesTransportation in the United StatesTransportation in the United States is facilitated by road, air, rail, and water networks. The vast majority of passenger travel occurs by automobile for shorter distances, and airplane for longer distances...
Further reading
- Blue Streak by Barbara S. Peterson, Portfolio, 2004 (ISBN 1-59184-058-9)
- Flying High by James Wynbrandt, John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2004 (ISBN 0-471-65544-9)