Adding Richmond Flights on JetBlue’s Horizon / CEO Says Starting Service to Western Destinations Realistic

By PETER BACQUE

He wasn’t making any promises, but JetBlue’s chief executive officer says Richmond can expect more service from the low-cost, high-quality airline.

JetBlue Airways could reasonably add flights to Florida, the West and New York out of Richmond International Airport, David Barger said yesterday.

“Richmond works very well for us,” he said during breakfast with about 35 local business and airport leaders at The Jefferson Hotel. And, he said later, “there’ll be additional growth over a period of time.”

The nation’s 10th-largest airline by passengers, JetBlue has six daily flights at Richmond International: three to New York, two to Boston and one to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Barger said the airline will make a decision about adding a flight to New York – Richmond air travelers’ top destination – by next spring.

“I don’t want to build false expectations,” he said in an interview. Western destinations are “not just possible, but realistic.”

“We’re missing some geography in the middle of the country,” Barger told the business and airport leaders. “We’d love to fly you guys to the West.”

JetBlue has enough gate capacity at Richmond airport to almost quadruple its service here, he indicated. That got the airport’s attention.

“I think it’s exciting,” said Jon Mathiasen, the Capital Region Airport Commission’s president and chief executive, noting that the Richmond community has put its money where its welcome is and has been booking flights on JetBlue.

“They’ve certainly had an impact here,” said James W. Dunn, president and CEO of the Greater Richmond Chamber.

Dunn pointed to the drop in fares and the soaring increase in passengers at the airport engendered by low-cost carriers such as JetBlue.

Discount carriers AirTran Airways and Skybus Airlines also serve Richmond. JetBlue entered the market here in March 2006.

JetBlue’s Richmond passengers are not expected to be affected by possible restrictions on airline flights at New York’s congested John F. Kennedy Airport, Barger said. “I can’t foresee Richmond being caught up in all that at all.”

However, the airline’s customers will feel some of JetBlue’s pain over sharply rising fuel costs, Barger said: “We’re going to ask customers to help.

“We can’t pass it all on to them,” he said, but passengers may see JetBlue’s ticket prices increase by as much as $5 a flight. The airline’s average fare is $128.

Contact Peter Bacque at (804) 649-6813 or pbacque@timesdispatch.com.

ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO

Originally published by Times-Dispatch Staff Writer.

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