NEW YORK, April 5, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- JetBlue Airways Corporation (Nasdaq:JBLU) reported today that its traffic in March increased 9.9 percent from March 2006, on a capacity increase of 11.3 percent.
Load factor for March 2007 was 85.5 percent, a decrease of 1.0 point from March 2006. JetBlue's preliminary completion factor was 96.8 percent and its on-time (1) performance was 63.5 percent. JetBlue's preliminary passenger revenue per available seat mile for the month of March increased 16 percent year over year.
JETBLUE AIRWAYS TRAFFIC RESULTS
March 2007 March 2006 % Change
Revenue passenger miles (000) 2,264,011 2,059,294 9.9
Available seat miles (000) 2,647,291 2,379,547 11.3
Load factor 85.5% 86.5% (1.0) pt.
Revenue passengers 1,955,335 1,630,755 19.9
Departures 17,180 12,635 36.0
Average stage length 1,077 1,231 (12.5)
Y-T-D 2007 Y-T-D 2006 % Change
Revenue passenger miles (000) 5,942,430 5,536,019 7.3
Available seat miles (000) 7,369,669 6,576,514 12.1
Load factor 80.6% 84.2% (3.6) pts.
Revenue passengers 5,090,815 4,334,919 17.4
Departures 46,574 34,417 35.3
Average stage length 1,086 1,246 (12.8)
SOURCE: JetBlue Airways Corporation
(1) The U.S. Department of Transportation considers on-time arrivals
to be those domestic flights arriving within 14 minutes of
schedule.
JetBlue Airways has created a new airline category based on value, service and style. Based in New York City, and now in its eighth year, the low-cost carrier currently serves 51 destinations with more than 575 flights daily. JetBlue has the most legroom in coach (a) and is America's first and only airline to offer its own Customer Bill of Rights, with meaningful compensation for customers inconvenienced by flight delays or cancellations (b). In addition to its signature seatback personal television service (c), the low-fare, high-value airline offers customers generous brand name snacks and beverages, including freshly brewed Dunkin' Donuts(r) coffee, and delicious wines selected by the airline's Low Fare Sommelier, Josh Wesson from Best Cellars(r). JetBlue service between Boston and Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Provincetown, and Hyannis, MA is operated by JetBlue's marketing partner, Cape Air. With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all travel is ticketless, all fares are one-way, and an overnight stay is never required. For information or reservations call 1-800-JETBLUE (1-800-538-2583) or visit www.jetblue.com.
(a) JetBlue has the most legroom in coach, based on average fleet-wide
seat pitch for U.S. airlines.
(b) For full details of JetBlue's Customer Bill of Rights, please
visit www.jetblue.com/promise.
(c) DIRECTV(r) service is not available on flights outside the
continental United States; however, where applicable, FOX
InFlight(tm) is offered complimentary on these routes. FOX
InFlight(tm) is a trademark of Twentieth Century Fox Film
Corporation. JetBlue's in-flight entertainment is powered by
LiveTV, a wholly owned subsidiary of JetBlue.
The JetBlue logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=795
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; increases in fuel prices, maintenance costs and interest rates; our ability to implement our growth strategy, including the ability to operate reliably the EMBRAER 190 aircraft; our significant fixed obligations; our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel and maintain our culture as we grow; our reliance on high daily aircraft utilization; our dependence on the New York metropolitan market; our reliance on automated systems and technology; our being subject to potential unionization; our reliance on a limited number of suppliers; changes in or additional government regulation; changes in our industry due to other airlines' financial condition; and external geopolitical events and conditions. Further 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 2006 Annual Report on Form 10-K. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.