Tag Archives: N537JT

JetBlue returns to pre-hurricane levels of service as it celebrates 16 years in Puerto Rico

JetBlue Airways, Puerto Rico’s largest airline, marked the return of its full flight schedule on the island after last year’s hurricanes by celebrating with customers, crewmembers and partners at San Juan’s Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU).

JetBlue’s return of capacity, which coincides with its 16^th anniversary of service in San Juan, came six months earlier than originally planned, given the improved demand for travel to Puerto Rico as the island continues to recover from Hurricane Maria and welcomes new visitors.

To support the increase in service, JetBlue has hired 50 new crewmembers for its San Juan operation, with the new crewmembers joining the airline just in time for the summer peak season. Along with JetBlue’s nearly 500 crewmembers based in Puerto Rico, they will support JetBlue’s up to 48 daily flights between Puerto Rico and 13 cities in the U.S. and the Caribbean (a).

In the days after Hurricane Maria made landfall, JetBlue introduced the 100x35JetBlue initiative, with 35 ways and 100 days – and beyond – of caring for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. The initiatives provided immediate first needs for the community, while also focusing on long-term, productive partnerships with key entities, such as the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), to encourage the return of tourism, contribute to the local economy, and invest in the island’s future. JetBlue has gradually increased its flights as demand has grown from ‘visiting friends and relatives customers’ who travel back and forth to the island. JetBlue has also been working with PRTC to encourage visitors to return to Puerto Rico and to offer world-class hospitality both in the air and on the ground through JetBlue’s hospitality training for industry workers.

Routes from San Juan:

Investing in Puerto Rico’s Future

JetBlue’s long-term 100x35JetBlue initiatives continue within the community, most recently with an announcement this week that as part of its 16th anniversary celebration of service to Puerto Rico, the JetBlue Foundation has pledged $100,000 worth of grants to STEM education programs on the island. Grants from the JetBlue Foundation will help further the airline’s efforts to invest in the island’s future and place aviation fields top-of-mind as career choices for students. The JetBlue Foundation will award $100,000 to qualified schools and organizations to fuel learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The JetBlue Foundation is currently accepting letters of inquiry for grants through June 29, 2018. To help other STEM and aviation-focused organizations navigate the application process, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, a previous JetBlue Foundation grant recipient, will offer a grant writing workshop. The school will share best practices that helped them receive a grant in 2016 for its “Girls in Aviation” program which aims to spark an interest in STEM for girls ages 10-17. The workshop will take place on June 22 at the Inter American School of Law in Hato Rey. Guests can RSVP at askjbfoundation@jetblue.com. RSVPs are required for attendance. For grant criteria or to submit a letter of inquiry, interested organizations can visit jetbluefoundation.org/grants. Grant recipients will be announced in fall 2018.

In addition, this summer the JetBlue Foundation and the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) will host their second annual Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy initiative in San Juan, introducing students ages 14 to 18 to careers in aviation.

JetBlue’s hurricane recovery efforts also include projects aimed at restoring the island’s natural resources and beauty. JetBlue’s recent “Green Up” campaign included two Puerto Rico-based conservation organizations customers could vote to select to receive “Green Up” grants, with Centro de Restauración: Vida Marina Center for Coastal Restoration and Conservation at the University of Puerto Rico at Aguadilla having been chosen to receive a $15,000 grant.

JetBlue’s crewmembers in San Juan volunteered more than 1,000 hours in the local community during 2017 and won the JetBlue “Blue City of the Year” Award. As winners of this honor, the team will get to donate $10,000 to their favorite charity.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by JetBlue): JetBlue Airways Airbus A320-232 N537JT (msn 1785) (Highrise) SJU (Raul Sepulveda). Image: 936971.

JetBlue aircraft slide show:

JetBlue introduces its first Embraer 190 special livery – “Blueprint”

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JetBlue Airways (New York) on February 20, 2017 announced two eye-catching additions to the airline’s fleet with the very first special livery for an Embraer 190 (above) and a new tailfin design that will appear on multiple aircraft this year (below). The airline is introducing the new paint schemes as it celebrates its 17th anniversary this month.

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‘Blueprint’ Is Born

JetBlue has a long tradition of adding unique, special liveries to its Airbus A320 fleet and that tradition is expanding to the airline’s Embraer 190 fleet.

Often referred to as the backbone of the operation in cities like Boston; Washington, D.C.; and San Juan, Puerto Rico, JetBlue’s design team created a paint scheme that showcased the so-called “bones” of the 100-seat aircraft. Drawing upon the styles of various aviation, nautical and space exploration vehicle cut-away diagrams, the JetBlue design team created a mechanical x-ray of sorts infused with some JetBlue fun.

The see-through paint job draws on both the technical and fanciful aspects of air travel. Mechanical features like the nose gear, jet engine and yoke were among the more obvious design elements to include. But for the onboard features, JetBlue designers drew upon their own travel experiences, crewmember tales, and the airline’s loyal customers for inspiration, even creating fictional characters to compile a list of the items they might be traveling with. Plane spotters are encouraged to give the overhead bins, under-seat storage areas, and the luggage holds a closer look to see if they can spot the nearly 50 items these “Blueprint” customers are traveling with.

Although “Blueprint” features just three signature JetBlue colors, it is one of the airline’s most intricate special livery designs and took nearly two weeks to paint at a facility in Quebec. The first-ever JetBlue E190 special livery debuted at Boston’s Logan International Airport and will operate on routes served by the E190 throughout the JetBlue network.

‘Highrise’ Reaches for the Skies

JetBlue has come a long way since launching its first two routes, now flying to 100 destinations across the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America. And even as the airline looks toward more growth in the years ahead there’s still no place like home. That’s why New York’s Hometown Airline® is honoring the city that never sleeps with a tailfin take on the buildings that form the iconic skyline.

The design, which depicts the image of bright lights through window panes of city high-rises (above), is meant to reflect JetBlue’s growth and New York’s perpetual desire to reach for the sky. Four of JetBlue’s signature colors are reflected in “Highrise” and the illuminated windows can be rearranged creating a slightly different pattern on different aircraft tailfins.

The “Highrise” pattern debuted at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and will be added to additional aircraft this year across the JetBlue network, so customers can be on the lookout for the newest tailfin design in a city near them.

Top Photo: JetBlue Airways. Embraer ERJ 190-100 IGW N304JB (msn 19000257) pushes back from the gate.

JetBlue Airways introduces a new tail design

JetBlue Airways (New York) has introduced a new tail design, reportedly named “High Rise” in salute to its home city of New York. The first aircraft to wear the new design is the pictured Airbus A320-232 N537JT (msn 1785).

The airline has not yet officially made the announcement.

JetBlue Airways to drop five routes in order to redeploy aircraft on new routes to Washington’s Reagan National Airport

JetBlue Airways (New York) as we previously reported, was awarded a package of 12 more slot pairs at the slot-controlled Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

As a result, JetBlue is forced to move aircraft from underperforming routes to these new DCA routes. This will be accomplished by ending service in the following markets:

West Palm Beach – San Juan: last flight both directions is June 16

San Francisco – Austin: last flight is June 15, Austin – San Francisco: last flight is June 16

Oakland – Washington (Dulles): last flight is June 15, Washington (Dulles) – Oakland: last flight is June 16

Long Beach – Washington (Dulles): last flight is September 1, Washington (Dulles) – Long Beach: last flight is Sept. 2

Buffalo – Fort Myers: this seasonal market will not resume in November

Customers with reservations for these affected flights after the last operating date will be contacted with the option to be reaccommodated on other JetBlue flights or to cancel their reservation and receive a full refund.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-232 N537JT (msn 1785) lands at Washington’s Reagan National Airport (DCA).

JetBlue Airways: