NEW YORK, May 27, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq:JBLU) today broke ground at Orlando International Airport for the construction on its flight training center and a new hangar for aircraft maintenance and LiveTV installation and maintenance.
JetBlue's new training center will encompass an 80,000 square foot building with the capacity for eight flight simulators and two cabin simulators, plus classrooms, cabin crew training equipment, a training pool, a fire-fighting training station and administration areas. The airline will use this new facility for the initial and continuous training of all JetBlue pilots and inflight crew, plus support training for its technical operations and customer service crew. Construction of the training center is scheduled to be completed in late 2005.
The low-fare carrier's new maintenance hangar will cover approximately 70,000 square feet and have the capacity to accommodate three Airbus A320 aircraft. The hangar, which is expected to be complete by early 2005, will be used for aircraft maintenance as well as the installation and maintenance of the airline's LiveTV inflight satellite television system. LiveTV is the wholly owned subsidiary of JetBlue that provides the inflight satellite television system available on all JetBlue aircraft.
"Building on our long-standing partnership with the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Governor Bush, Mayor Buddy Dyer and County Chairman Rich Crotty have all stepped up to the plate to help take JetBlue's commitment to Central Florida to a new level," said Dave Barger, President and COO of JetBlue Airways. "We were also fortunate to have the support of a variety of community organizations such as the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, Enterprise Florida, the University of Central Florida and Valencia Community College. Today's ground breaking is a very exciting day for us all."
"As Mayor of Orlando, I am proud that JetBlue chose the City of Orlando and Metro Orlando community for this expansion project. JetBlue assists the City and Metro Orlando community in our efforts to diversify our economy, create high paying jobs, and grow our simulation industry. The City of Orlando, in cooperation with Orange County and the State of Florida, looks forward to a long mutually beneficial partnership with JetBlue," said City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.
"This is a great day! We are honored to have been selected by this great company as the location for their expansion. Working with Governor Jeb Bush and Mayor Buddy Dyer we believe we have responded to the company's needs while providing our citizens with great opportunities. JetBlue will become a great corporate partner and I am excited about the synergy this move will bring to the region," said Orange County Chairman Richard T. Crotty.
"We are very pleased that an industry leader like JetBlue has chosen Orlando International Airport and Central Florida to play an important role in their corporate business plan," said C. William Jennings, Executive Director Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. "Their commitment to excellence in customer service is an important value that we look for in business partners and speaks to Orlando's position in the aviation industry."
"This is an exciting day for Metro Orlando and our region's modeling, simulation and training sector," said Ray Gilley, president and CEO of the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission. "JetBlue is truly the definition of today's 'Fast Company' and we are proud that they are making Orlando home for these two cutting-edge facilities."
JetBlue is a low-fare, low-cost passenger airline, which provides high-quality customer service. JetBlue operates a fleet of 59 new Airbus A320 aircraft and plans to add another 10 A320s to its fleet in 2004. The airline has 100 Embraer E190 aircraft on order with options for an additional 100 with deliveries scheduled to begin in mid 2005. All JetBlue aircraft feature roomy all-leather seats each equipped with free live satellite television, offering up to 24 channels of DIRECTV(r) Programming at every seat.(a)
Based at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport, JetBlue currently operates 238 flights a day and serves 23 destinations in 11 states and Puerto Rico. JetBlue plans to commence new service between JFK and Aguadilla, Puerto Rico on May 28 and between JFK and San Jose, CA on June 10. JetBlue also plans to initiate services between JFK and Santiago and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on June 10 and June 17 respectively. With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all travel is ticketless, all fares are one-way, and a Saturday night stay is never required. For more information, schedules and fares, please visit www.jetblue.com or call JetBlue reservations at 1-800-JETBLUE (538-2583), 1-888-538-2583 if calling from Puerto Rico, or 1-888-751-2241 if calling from the Dominican Republic. This press release, as well as past press releases, can be found on www.jetblue.com.
(a)DIRECTV(r) service is not available on flights between New York City and Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic.
This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature which represent our management's beliefs and assumptions concerning future events. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions and are based on information currently available to us. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward looking statements due to many factors, including without limitation, our extremely competitive industry, our ability to implement our growth strategy including the integration of the Embraer E190 aircraft into our operations, our significant fixed obligations and our reliance on high daily aircraft utilization, increases in maintenance costs, fuel prices and interest rates, our dependence on the New York market, seasonal fluctuations in our operating results, our reliance on sole suppliers, government regulation, the loss of key personnel and potential problems with our workforce, the potential liability associated with the handling of our customer data and future acts of terrorism or the threat of such acts or escalation of U.S. military involvement overseas. Additional information concerning these and other factors is contained in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to, the Company's 2003 Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.
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