JetBlue to Add More Legroom Across Fleet; Low-Fare Carrier Will Offer Most Customers a Seat Pitch of 34 Inches Starting Fall, 2003
Business Editors/Travel Writers
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 3, 2003--Beginning in September, JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ: JBLU), New York''s low-fare airline, will provide two inches more legroom for most customers without changing its fare structure.
By taking out one row of seats, the airline will extend seat pitch (the space from the back of one seat to the back of the seat behind it) to 34 inches throughout their Airbus fleet, with the exception of nine rows near the front of the cabin which will remain at 32 inches. With the new configuration, JetBlue''s A320 aircraft will now comprise 156 seats, down from 162 (102 seats now will have 34 inches of pitch while 54 seats will remain at 32 inches).
We''ve always offered an award-winning and very comfortable product but now we''ve figured out a way to give more customers even more room without changing our fare structure, said David Neeleman, JetBlue''s Chairman and CEO. This way about two-thirds of the aircraft will have 34 inches of pitch, making it the most generous legroom of any low-fare airline. We''re always looking to give our customers more: more comfort, more service, more value, and more entertainment. And travelers can expect more innovation from JetBlue in the months to come.
The first aircraft with the additional legroom is expected to be in service starting September 6. The airline plans to have completed work across the fleet by November 19. JetBlue expects the improvement to its product offering will further enhance its brand and, together with yield management, will strengthen the airline''s ability to offset any potential decline in operating revenues resulting from the reduction in seat capacity.
JetBlue is a low-fare, low-cost passenger airline, which provides high-quality customer service. JetBlue operates a fleet of 44 new Airbus A320 aircraft and is scheduled to place into service another nine A320s by the end of 2003. The airline recently placed an order for 100 EMBRAER 190 aircraft with options for an additional 100. The first EMBRAER 190 is scheduled to be delivered 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® Programming at every seat.**
From its base at New York City''s John F. Kennedy International Airport, JetBlue flies to: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm Beach, FL; Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, NY; Long Beach, Oakland, Ontario, and San Diego, CA; Burlington, VT; Denver, CO; Las Vegas, NV; New Orleans, LA; Salt Lake City, UT; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Seattle, WA. From Washington DC, the airline serves Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Long Beach and Oakland, CA. From Long Beach, CA, the airline serves Atlanta, GA, Oakland, CA, Las Vegas, NV, Ft. Lauderdale, FL and Salt Lake City, UT.
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). This press release, as well as past press releases, can be found on www.jetblue.com.
** DIRECTV® service is not available on flights between New York City and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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, potential hostilities in the Middle East or other regions, our ability to implement our growth strategy and our dependence on the New York market, our fixed obligations and our limited operating history, seasonal fluctuations in our operating results, increases in maintenance costs, fuel prices and interest rates, our competitive environment, our reliance on sole suppliers, government regulation, our failure to properly integrate LiveTV or enforce its patents, our ability to hire qualified personnel, the loss of key personnel and potential problems with our workforce including work stoppages, and continuing changes in the airline industry following the September 11th terrorist attacks and the increased risk of future attacks, as well as potential risks with the delivery, placing into service and integration into our operations of the EMBRAER 190 aircraft. 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 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.
Business Editors/Travel Writers
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 3, 2003--Beginning in September, JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ: JBLU), New York''s low-fare airline, will provide two inches more legroom for most customers without changing its fare structure.
By taking out one row of seats, the airline will extend seat pitch (the space from the back of one seat to the back of the seat behind it) to 34 inches throughout their Airbus fleet, with the exception of nine rows near the front of the cabin which will remain at 32 inches. With the new configuration, JetBlue''s A320 aircraft will now comprise 156 seats, down from 162 (102 seats now will have 34 inches of pitch while 54 seats will remain at 32 inches).
We''ve always offered an award-winning and very comfortable product but now we''ve figured out a way to give more customers even more room without changing our fare structure, said David Neeleman, JetBlue''s Chairman and CEO. This way about two-thirds of the aircraft will have 34 inches of pitch, making it the most generous legroom of any low-fare airline. We''re always looking to give our customers more: more comfort, more service, more value, and more entertainment. And travelers can expect more innovation from JetBlue in the months to come.
The first aircraft with the additional legroom is expected to be in service starting September 6. The airline plans to have completed work across the fleet by November 19. JetBlue expects the improvement to its product offering will further enhance its brand and, together with yield management, will strengthen the airline''s ability to offset any potential decline in operating revenues resulting from the reduction in seat capacity.
JetBlue is a low-fare, low-cost passenger airline, which provides high-quality customer service. JetBlue operates a fleet of 44 new Airbus A320 aircraft and is scheduled to place into service another nine A320s by the end of 2003. The airline recently placed an order for 100 EMBRAER 190 aircraft with options for an additional 100. The first EMBRAER 190 is scheduled to be delivered 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® Programming at every seat.**
From its base at New York City''s John F. Kennedy International Airport, JetBlue flies to: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm Beach, FL; Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, NY; Long Beach, Oakland, Ontario, and San Diego, CA; Burlington, VT; Denver, CO; Las Vegas, NV; New Orleans, LA; Salt Lake City, UT; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Seattle, WA. From Washington DC, the airline serves Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Long Beach and Oakland, CA. From Long Beach, CA, the airline serves Atlanta, GA, Oakland, CA, Las Vegas, NV, Ft. Lauderdale, FL and Salt Lake City, UT.
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). This press release, as well as past press releases, can be found on www.jetblue.com.
** DIRECTV® service is not available on flights between New York City and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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, potential hostilities in the Middle East or other regions, our ability to implement our growth strategy and our dependence on the New York market, our fixed obligations and our limited operating history, seasonal fluctuations in our operating results, increases in maintenance costs, fuel prices and interest rates, our competitive environment, our reliance on sole suppliers, government regulation, our failure to properly integrate LiveTV or enforce its patents, our ability to hire qualified personnel, the loss of key personnel and potential problems with our workforce including work stoppages, and continuing changes in the airline industry following the September 11th terrorist attacks and the increased risk of future attacks, as well as potential risks with the delivery, placing into service and integration into our operations of the EMBRAER 190 aircraft. 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 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.
11 PM JS wrote: 
