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JetBlue Adds Flights Between Richmond, Va., And New York, Boston

Posted on: Wednesday, 12 October 2005, 00:00 CDT

By Victor Reklaitis, Daily Press, Newport News, Va.

Oct. 12--The options for low-frills flights at nearby airports will soon expand pushing fares from this part of Virginia to New York City as low as $59 each way.

The competition intensified Tuesday as discount carrier JetBlue Airways announced plans to offer four flights daily from Richmond to New York City, as well as two flights daily from Richmond to Boston.

JetBlue's nonstop flights to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport will cost $59 to $134 one way, while its nonstop flights to Boston's Logan International Airport will cost $69 to $144 one way.

The new Richmond flights set to begin this spring are part of a major expansion of service by the airline, including new daily flights to Austin, Texas; Nassau, Bahamas; and West Palm Beach, Fla.

Discount carriers such as JetBlue, AirTran Airways and Southwest Airlines are serving as a lone bright spot for a beleaguered industry. While the discounters are largely profitable and even expanding, four of the seven largest U.S. airlines are operating in bankruptcy.

The new flights announced Tuesday mean more competition for the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, though one expert questioned whether passenger traffic at that airport would be affected.

Terry Haglund, president of the Aviation Law Center in Williamsburg, said a move earlier this year by AirTran to offer new flights from Richmond to Atlanta and Boston hasn't hurt the Newport News airport as he expected it would.

"The markets are apparently far enough apart, that if you can rely on past experience of AirTran, there shouldn't be a significant impact," said Haglund, who regularly monitors passenger numbers at the Newport News airport. "However, we're going into a slow (travel) season. It's difficult to tell."

In September, the Newport News airport saw passenger traffic increase 16 percent. In the past year, 1,045,717 passengers have used it.

JetBlue's new flights are made possible by its purchase of eight 100-seat Embraer 190 planes, with 18 more of the jets on the way next year.

The airline, based in New York and founded in 2000, currently has a fleet of about 82 Airbus A320s that serve 33 destinations.

The airline's Richmond-New York flights are set to begin March 31, and its Richmond-Boston flights are set to begin April 6.

David Neeleman, JetBlue's founder and chairman, said the company is seeking to capitalize on the recent bankruptcy filings by Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines, which is a chief competitor of JetBlue's in the Northeast corridor.

He said JetBlue is defending its position as the No. 1 airline at Kennedy airport, which serves as the discount carrier's hub.

Virginia Gov. Mark R. Warner met with JetBlue's executives in 2003 and helped bring the company to Richmond, according to a news release from his office.

"This expansion means air travel will become much more affordable for both businesses and vacation travelers," Warner said. "I am extremely pleased to welcome JetBlue to the commonwealth."

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Copyright (c) 2005, Daily Press, Newport News, Va.

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JBLU, AAI, LUV,

Source: Daily Press

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