OHare gets new air carrier to NYC, L.A.
Tribune staff report
Published October 26, 2006, 1:38 PM CDT
A budget carrier that is the newest airline to serve O'Hare International Airport will start service in January with as many as seven daily flights to New York and southern California, up from the four previously reported, it was announced today.
Jet Blue earlier this month was awarded four daily flights from O'Hare, a move that had been opposed by United Airlines, the airport's largest tenant.
Today, though, Jet Blue Chief Executive David Neeleman said the company would have up to five flights a day to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, and two a day to Los Angeles/Long Beach Airport.
Neeleman made the announcement at an O'Hare news conference with Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.
The additional slots were obtained under the FAA's recent decision to allow airlines at O'Hare to "trade, swap, buy or sell" slots, according to Jet Blue spokesman Bryan Baldwin. He declined to say exactly how Jet Blue negotiated the additional slots or from whom it had obtained them.
Jet Blue will be the 55th airline to serve O'Hare, WGN-Ch. 9 reported. It will begin service Jan. 4 out of O'Hare's Terminal 2.
"It's only six years old. You talk about a moving company," Daley said. "They are serving over 41 cities with more than 450 flights (a day). We are excited having them here in Chicago."
"This airline is very innovative, a new approach in the airline industry," the mayor said. "It is a great addition to O'Hare International Airport. I really appreciate them coming here."
Jet Blue's Neeleman said, "O'Hare has lacked really one thing, and that's a good-quality low-fare carrier. You've got low fares down the road at Midway (Airport), but the fares are higher out here."
To promote the service, Jet Blue is offering $36 one-way fares to New York and Long Beach for travelers who book within 36 hours after this morning's announcementessentially, until late Friday night, WGN-Ch. 9 reported.
Introductory one-way fares will start at $59, and regular fares will range from $89 to $249, according to the airline. Officials said they would consider expanding their service in and out of Chicago in the future, WGN reported.
Beginning in January, Jet Blue flights to New York will depart at 6 a.m., except Sundays, and at 9:25 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 3:40 p.m. The fifth flight of the day will depart at 6:45 p.m. and will operate every day except Saturday.
Four return flights from New York will be offered seven days a week. A fifth flight of the day, in the evening, will operate every day except Saturday.
Flights to Long Beach will depart at 7:30 a.m. seven days a week and at 5:10 p.m. daily except Saturday. Return flights are set for mid-morning and late afternoon.
More flight information is available at Jet Blue's Web site.
JetBlue has for years sought to serve Chicago, preferring O'Hare to Midway because of its location near growing north and west suburbs and the absence of low-cost competitor Southwest Airlines.
Founded in 2000, JetBlue has proved a hit by offering low prices, just one class of service and amenities such as a personal TV screen at every seat. The airline flies 95 Airbus A320s, which seat 156 passengers, and 21 Embraer 190s, which seat 100.
Like Southwest, JetBlue flies point-to-point, non-stop routes and does not utilize a hub system like American and United. Those two airlines are by far the biggest at O'Hare, together offering about 88 percent of all flights.
But JetBlue has become the largest carrier at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York by offering flights up and down the East Coast and to 14 cities in the West. The closest the airline currently comes to Chicago is Columbus, Ohio, and otherwise serves none of the upper Midwest.
OH HAPPY DAY!! JET BLUE IS COMING OUR WAY!!
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