lowecur
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Interesting piece in the Miami-Herald. Neeleman says Newark, Islip, and Miami are under serious consideration for service next year. These flights would be direct competition to Southwest and Continental into FLL.
Posted on Sat, Sep. 18, 2004
JetBlue is getting ready to expand its services to South Florida and the New York area and may even consider flights from Miami and Washington, D.C.
BY INA PAIVA CORDLE
JetBlue Airways is setting its sights on flying from Fort Lauderdale to Newark, N.J., and Long Island's Islip airport and is also seriously considering flights from Miami to New York.
That's according to JetBlue Chief Executive David Neeleman, who flew into Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Friday to celebrate new nonstop flights to New York's LaGuardia. The seven new flights will boost JetBlue's service on the nation's top route -- Fort Lauderdale-New York -- to 24 during the winter season, including 17 to New York's JFK.
The popular low-cost carrier is also adding more Boston and Washington Dulles flights, bringing its total to at least 31 daily nonstop flights from Fort Lauderdale early next year. JetBlue also serves Long Beach from Fort Lauderdale.
And it won't stop there.
''There are a couple of other New York-area airports that would like to have service into Fort Lauderdale, and maybe we'll do them in the future,'' Neeleman said. Newark and Islip are ''a good possibility,'' he said later, maybe for next year.
''It think it would be excellent,'' said Ed Nelson, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood's director of air service development.
``Newark and Islip are both large markets that would certainly benefit Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.''
JetBlue, meanwhile, is taking its strongest look yet at starting service from Miami to New York.
''The odds are good over the long-term, not so good this year,'' Neeleman said, adding that all its new planes are accounted for this year.
Miguel Southwell, Miami-Dade Aviation Department's assistant director of business development, said the airport has been talking to JetBlue for almost 18 months, and would be delighted to see the airline launch service at Miami International.
''JetBlue is one of the premier low-cost carriers and a lot of passengers ask, `When are you going to get JetBlue,''' Southwell said. ``It's an exciting product, it's an exciting service. It's low-cost service but the value in terms of in-flight entertainment and the focus on service is very much what you would find on any other premier carrier. It gets people excited when JetBlue enters a market.''
The airline is also looking at flying from Fort Lauderdale to Nassau, Neeleman confirmed, for this winter or next.
Last month, JetBlue filed a request with the United States Department of Transportation to initiate flights from New York's JFK to Nassau starting Nov. 1.
JetBlue has grown exponentially since it launched service in February 2000 with three flights from Fort Lauderdale to New York's JFK and 15 employees. Today, it has 650 employees at its South Florida base, JetBlue's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood General Manager Rick DeMarco says.
And the airline has been a major contributor to increased traffic on the routes it serves, Broward County Mayor Ilene Lieberman said.
Passenger volume has more than doubled between New York and Fort Lauderdale from 1998 to 2004, Lieberman said. And traffic to and from Boston is up 30 percent.
Posted on Sat, Sep. 18, 2004
JetBlue is getting ready to expand its services to South Florida and the New York area and may even consider flights from Miami and Washington, D.C.
BY INA PAIVA CORDLE
JetBlue Airways is setting its sights on flying from Fort Lauderdale to Newark, N.J., and Long Island's Islip airport and is also seriously considering flights from Miami to New York.
That's according to JetBlue Chief Executive David Neeleman, who flew into Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Friday to celebrate new nonstop flights to New York's LaGuardia. The seven new flights will boost JetBlue's service on the nation's top route -- Fort Lauderdale-New York -- to 24 during the winter season, including 17 to New York's JFK.
The popular low-cost carrier is also adding more Boston and Washington Dulles flights, bringing its total to at least 31 daily nonstop flights from Fort Lauderdale early next year. JetBlue also serves Long Beach from Fort Lauderdale.
And it won't stop there.
''There are a couple of other New York-area airports that would like to have service into Fort Lauderdale, and maybe we'll do them in the future,'' Neeleman said. Newark and Islip are ''a good possibility,'' he said later, maybe for next year.
''It think it would be excellent,'' said Ed Nelson, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood's director of air service development.
``Newark and Islip are both large markets that would certainly benefit Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.''
JetBlue, meanwhile, is taking its strongest look yet at starting service from Miami to New York.
''The odds are good over the long-term, not so good this year,'' Neeleman said, adding that all its new planes are accounted for this year.
Miguel Southwell, Miami-Dade Aviation Department's assistant director of business development, said the airport has been talking to JetBlue for almost 18 months, and would be delighted to see the airline launch service at Miami International.
''JetBlue is one of the premier low-cost carriers and a lot of passengers ask, `When are you going to get JetBlue,''' Southwell said. ``It's an exciting product, it's an exciting service. It's low-cost service but the value in terms of in-flight entertainment and the focus on service is very much what you would find on any other premier carrier. It gets people excited when JetBlue enters a market.''
The airline is also looking at flying from Fort Lauderdale to Nassau, Neeleman confirmed, for this winter or next.
Last month, JetBlue filed a request with the United States Department of Transportation to initiate flights from New York's JFK to Nassau starting Nov. 1.
JetBlue has grown exponentially since it launched service in February 2000 with three flights from Fort Lauderdale to New York's JFK and 15 employees. Today, it has 650 employees at its South Florida base, JetBlue's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood General Manager Rick DeMarco says.
And the airline has been a major contributor to increased traffic on the routes it serves, Broward County Mayor Ilene Lieberman said.
Passenger volume has more than doubled between New York and Fort Lauderdale from 1998 to 2004, Lieberman said. And traffic to and from Boston is up 30 percent.
