JetBlue Airlines
Airline Code: B6
About JetBlue:
David Neeleman founded the company in February 1999, under the name "NewAir." Several
of JetBlue's executives, including Neeleman, are former Southwest Airlines employees.
JetBlue started by following Southwest's approach of offering low-cost travel, but
sought to distinguish itself by its amenities, such as in-flight entertainment,
TV on every seat and Satellite radio. In Neeleman's words, JetBlue looks "to bring
humanity back to air travel."
In September 1999 the airline was awarded 75 initial take off/landing slots at John
F. Kennedy International Airport, and received formal U.S. authorization in February
2000. It started operations on February 11, 2000.
JetBlue's founders had set out to call the airline "Taxi" and therefore have a yellow
livery to associate the airline with New York. The idea was dropped, however, for
several reasons: the negative connotation behind New York City taxis; the ambiguity
of the word taxi with regard to air traffic control; and threats from investor JP
Morgan to pull its share ($20 million of the total $128 million) of the airline's
initial funding unless the name was changed. The airline's founders also considered
making its home base in Trenton, New Jersey, but this idea did not gain much support.
JetBlue Major Hubs:
John F. Kennedy International Airport
Logan International Airport
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
Long Beach Airport
Orlando International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport
Codeshare Agreements:
On February 14, 2007, JetBlue announced it had entered its first codeshare agreement,
with Cape Air, to carry JetBlue passengers from Boston's Logan Airport to Cape Air's
destinations throughout Cape Cod and the surrounding islands. The agreement will
allow customers on both airlines to purchase seats on both airlines under one reservation.
This announcement came the same day that JetBlue announced seasonal service from
New York to Nantucket. JetBlue also has codeshares with Irish-based Aer Lingus and
German-based Lufthansa.
Aircraft Type:
Airbus A320
Embraer 190
Fleet Size: 142
No. of Destinations: 53
Airline was founded in: 1999