"JetBlue Officials to Tour Boston Airport"

Saturday, June 21, 2003

JetBlue Officials to Tour Boston Airport
The Boston (MA) Globe


Officials from low-fare airline JetBlue Airways Corp. will get their
first tour of available gate and ticket space at Logan International
Airport on Monday during a meeting with Massachusetts Port Authority
chief executive Craig P. Coy and other airport officials. 

JetBlue yesterday confirmed the meeting between the head of its flight
scheduling and planning department, and Massport officials. JetBlue
chief executive David Neeleman also may attend. It will be the first
face-to-face talks between the two groups since two years ago, when
Neeleman sought permission to fly out of Logan but was rebuffed by
Massport, which wanted JetBlue to fly out of Worcester Regional Airport
instead. 

Now with Logan less crowded than it was in 2001, Massport is competing
with Manchester Airport in Manchester, N.H., to be the airport JetBlue
serves in central New England. JetBlue executives have already toured
that facility. 

Fiona Morrisson, a spokeswoman for the airline, downplayed the
significance of the meeting, saying that no deals were imminent at
either location. Though Neeleman has publicly expressed his desire to
serve the region for years, JetBlue is constrained in expanding by the
availability of aircraft, Morrisson said. 

"Really this isn't anything more than just our research and due
diligence," she said. 

The airline has a fleet of 43 Airbus A320 jets and is adding new ones at
the rate of one per week. As new planes are being added, they are being
used to increase service to destinations where JetBlue already flies,
such as Long Beach and Oakland, Calif., and San Juan, Morrisson said. 

Last month, JetBlue ordered 100 new Embraer 190 jets, but the first of
those planes won't be delivered until 2005. 

Massport officials confirmed the meeting but declined to comment
further. The agency has said it sees itself as the front-runner in the
competition for JetBlue in the region. 

The airline has been popular with travelers for its low fares and for
offering free DirecTV satellite television service on its flights since
launching in 2000.


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