NEW YORK, July 6, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- As Lance Armstrong launches his quest to win his sixth consecutive Tour de France, JetBlue (Nasdaq:JBLU), Outdoor Life(R) Network and DIRECTV will set a record of their own by becoming the first to offer continuous in-flight coverage of the three-week bicycle race. The 2,126-mile race began on July 3rd, and is followed by 20 grueling stages. The Tour concludes on July 25.
To celebrate this unique opportunity to watch Lance in France in-flight, JetBlue is waiving the $50 checked baggage fee for customers traveling with bicycles in July.
OLN's comprehensive coverage of the Tour de France is available on the DIRECTV special events channel, which is just one of the up to 24 channels of DIRECTV(R) programming (see note) available for free at every seat on JetBlue.
OLN will televise more than 300 hours of Tour coverage, including: live coverage in the morning; replays during the day; an afternoon show called The Roadside Tour, which will tell the story of the Tour de France from the fan's perspective; and an expanded prime time show, which will provide sports fans across America with an informative and viewer-friendly look at each stage of the Tour. A complete tour schedule is available at OLNTV.com.
"We're rooting for Lance and all the cycling fans flying with us in July!" said David Neeleman, CEO of JetBlue Airways. "JetBlue customers can catch every pedal push of this epic race, which covers a distance almost equivalent to that between New York City and Long Beach, CA, in the comfort of our new planes, 34-inch seat pitch for most seats and award-winning friendly service -- and check their bikes for free."
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 eight 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 (see note).
Based at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport, JetBlue currently operates 252 flights a day and serves 27 destinations in 11 states, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. 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.
Outdoor Life Network is the leader in outdoor adventure and action sports television. Now in more than 59 million homes, OLN is the home of The Tour de France and the ultimate resource for people interested in the outdoor lifestyle. The Network offers exclusive programming in four primary areas: Outdoor Adventure, Action Sports, Field & Stream(R) and Bulls & Rodeo.
Note: 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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