JetBlue coming to TCI from February 2011

By Hayden Boyce, SUN Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

JetBlue Airways has confirmed that it will commence flights to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands from New York and Boston, starting February, 2011.
The announcement, which was made in New York today (Wednesday September 8th), is subject to receiving government operating authority.
The value carrier intends to launch daily service from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) commencing Feb. 17 and seasonal (November – April) Saturday only service beginning Feb. 19 from Boston Logan International (BOS). JetBlue’s flights to the Turks & Caicos Islands are expected to go on sale in October at http://www.jetblue.com, according to a press release from the airline’s New York headquarters.
Last month, The SUN newspaper first broke the news about JetBlue’s imminent entry into the Turks and Caicos Islands market.
“JetBlue is proud to continue our successful expansion in the Caribbean with new service to the Turks & Caicos Islands,” said Scott Laurence, JetBlue’s vice president of network planning. “Thanks to the support of our customers, we are pleased to offer more destinations, great low fares and the award-winning JetBlue Experience to the places they want to go.”
The daily flight from JFK International Airport will leave New York at 9:10 a.m. and arrive in Providenciales at 1 p.m. Flights will leave Providenciales daily at 2 p.m. and arrive in New York at 5:40 p.m.
The Boston flights will leave Logan International Airport at 11 a.m. and arrive in Providenciales at 2:45 p.m., then leave Provo at 3:40 and arrive in Boston at 7:20 p.m.
John T. Smith, CEO of Turks & Caicos Islands Airports Authority, said: “The Turks & Caicos Islands Airports Authority has commenced the redevelopment of its Gateway Airport, Providenciales. JetBlue has impressed us with their success in the region and we are pleased to welcome their popular low fare, high value service to the island. We look forward to continuing the development of a mutually beneficial long term relationship.”
Providenciales would be JetBlue’s 64th destination and its 17th destination in the Caribbean. With the addition of the Turks & Caicos Islands, the carrier would serve 40 nonstop destinations from Boston.
JetBlue intends to operate its Providenciales service with spacious 150-seat Airbus A320 aircraft.
The A320 offers travelers all of the amenities for which JetBlue has become well-regarded: complimentary seatback televisions including free first-run movies, comfortable leather seats and the most legroom in coach of any U.S. airline, unlimited free snacks and award-winning customer service.
The Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA) held an extraordinary meeting regarding the proposed JetBlue service on September 3rd, 2010, at Beaches Resort & Spa.
Chief Executive Officer of the TCHTA, Caesar Campbell said JetBlue it is very motivated in introducing this service for the destination, and they have had a number of meetings with key local tourism partners, including the Tourist Board, the Airports Authority, and the TCHTA.
He said that as a result of these meetings, a marketing plan has been submitted by the airline to government and the TCHTA in order to support the promotion of the service.
The strategic marketing plan was modeled on another destination where JetBlue started up service recently, and was submitted to the TCHTA for directional purposes only, as the total spend is over $1Million.
Noting that the destination is clearly not in a financial position to provide this kind of funding, Campbell said that in reviewing this plan, the government has made a commitment of $200,000.00, over a one (1) year, period, to the support marketing of this service, which will not only increase our airlift out of the these major gateways, but also increase the visibility of the destination in these vital market sources.
“Given that the above-mentioned amount that the government is willing to commit is a faction of the total spend in JBA’s marketing plan, it was recommended that in the TCHTA’s attempt to provide additional marketing support for this service to be sustainable, which will increase our market share in this area, we would match the $200,000 over a one (1) year period by implementing the following method to raise funds,” he reported.
Hotels in the luxury category would be assessed a special JBA marketing fee of $10,000 and hotels in the budget to moderate category would be assessed a special JBA marketing fee of $5,000.
This special JetBlue marketing fee would not be assessed in one lump sum, but over a one (1) year period, that is, quarterly or bi-annual.
“In principal, it was agreed that would move forward, as an association, with the above-mentioned recommendation with the support of government, in the interest of promoting tourism to the destination, which has been conspicuously absent over the past two years,” Campbell stated.
Jet Blue was voted “Most Eco-Friendly Airline” by Zagat’s Airline Survey in 2008 and 2009, and it has created a new airline category based on value, service and style.
In 2010, the carrier also ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Low-Cost Carriers in North America” by J.D. Power and Associates, a customer satisfaction recognition received for the sixth year in a row.
Known for its award-winning service and free TV as much as its low fares, JetBlue is now pleased to offer customers Lots of Legroom and super-spacious Even More Legroom seats.
JetBlue is also America’s first and only airline to offer its own Customer Bill of Rights, with meaningful and specific compensation for customers inconvenienced by service disruptions within JetBlue’s control.
JetBlue serves 61 cities with 650 daily flights. New service to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, DC and to Bradley International Airport in Hartford, CT begins in November. With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all fares are one-way, and an overnight stay is never required.
####
Posted Sept.8th 2010
Turks & Caicos SUN Newspaper