December 8, 2005
Adding to Delta and US Airways' bag of woes, JetBlue says it will begin nonstop service between Boston Logan International Airport and Washington DC's Dulles Airport with sale fares starting from $55 each way, effective January 17. The company also announced plans for a new terminal at New York's JFK.
With less fanfare, JetBlue said it is looking for ways to trim costs after recording its first annual loss since going public.
The busy Boston-Washington route is a major source of revenue for bankrupt Delta and recently-merged US Air. JetBlue's heavily discounted fares will make the route more affordable to consumers who now have to trek to Baltimore-Washington International Airport on the Washington end and Manchester on the Boston end to find cheap seats on Southwest.
JetBlue recently expanded its Boston operations with nonstop service to both New York's JFK and Seattle. With upcoming new routes to Austin, TX starting January 19, the Bahamas on February 2 and Richmond, VA on March 31, the fast-growing low-fare carrier will operate 50 daily departures from Logan International Airport, making JetBlue the largest low-cost carrier in Boston.
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| TWA International Terminal |
The proposed 635-square-foot terminal is to feature 26 gates, allowing JetBlue to increase its daily flights from 100 to 250.
Little will actually happen in the Saarinen building, which will house shops and restaurants. The gates will be housed in the new terminal, now under construction, and wil be connected by tubular walkways to the Saarinen building.
"We're bringing a lot of people to New York that weren't able to come here, "said David Neeleman, Jetblue CEO.
On the cost-cutting front, Jetblue chief financial officer John Owen said the carrier is looking for ways to boost revenue while continuing its aggressive expansion. He said the airline already operates very efficiently, so there's not a lot of fat to be cut.
New York-based JetBlue serves 33 cities in the United States, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.
