NEW YORK, Aug. 3, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq:JBLU), New York's low-fare airline, today requested authority from the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide international nonstop service to The Bahamas. Pending approval from both governments, the proposed service from John F. Kennedy International Airport would operate with daily service to Nassau planned to begin November 1, 2004.*
The Bahamas service would continue the carrier's expansion in the Caribbean following the start of service to San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2002. The carrier added a new flight to Aguadilla, Puerto Rico in May this year, and launched Santiago and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic as JetBlue's first international destinations in June.
"With the success of our Caribbean flights, we're excited to expand our service to The Bahamas," said David Neeleman, CEO of JetBlue Airways. "Should the Department of Transportation grant JetBlue's request to provide this service, New Yorkers and Bahamians will be able to experience new planes, a 34-inch seat pitch for most seats, and award-winning friendly service when flying to and from The Bahamas."
JetBlue's proposed flight schedule as filed in its request with the U.S. Department of Transportation*:
New York (JFK) to Nassau (NAS) Nassau to New York Depart - Arrive Depart - Arrive 8:00am - 11:10am (eff. 11/1/04) 11:50am - 2:40pm (eff. 11/1/04)
All service is pending approval by U.S. and Bahamian governments.
JetBlue is a low-fare, low-cost passenger airline, which provides high-quality customer service. JetBlue operates a fleet of 61 new Airbus A320 aircraft and plans to add another 8 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 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.**
Based at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport, JetBlue currently operates 258 flights a day and serves 27 destinations in 11 states, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The airline plans daily service between New York's LaGuardia Airport and Fort Lauderdale, FL, starting September 17, 2004 and between JFK and Phoenix, AZ, starting October 1, 2004. 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.
* This service is subject to receipt of government operating authority.
** 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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