JET BLUE AIRWAYS HAS MADE A NAME FOR ITSELF OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.
IT’S THE AIRLINE THAT FLIES CHEAPLY BUT LUXURIOUSLY.
THEY OFFER SOUTHWEST PRICES, BUT INSTEAD OF PROVIDING PEANUTS, JET BLUE OFFERS TV SCREENS.
TO FLY JET BLUE, NEW ENGLANDERS HAVE TO LEAVE FROM BURLINGTON, VERMONT OR NEW YORK CITY.
BUT RECENTLY, THE AIRLINE HAS BEEN MAKING NOISES ABOUT LANDING IN THE BOSTON AREA.
AS NHPR CORRESPONDENT REBECCA KAUFMAN REPORTS, MANCHESTER AIRPORT COULD BE AT THE TOP OF THE LIST.
JET BLUE OFFICIALS HAVE SAID BY THE END OF THE YEAR THEY WOULD LIKE TO ADD ANOTHER CITY TO THE 22 THEY ALREADY SERVE.
COMPANY SPOKESPERSON GARETH EDMUNDSON-JONES SAYS THEY’VE ALREADY ADDED ATLANTA AND SAN DIEGO TO THEIR LIST THIS YEAR.
AND WOULD LIKE TO ADD A THIRD.
:33: WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT EXPANDING IN THE NEW ENGLAND AREA AND WE’VE CERTAINLY LOOKED AT BOSTON LOGAN AND MANCHESTER.
EDMUNDSON-JONES SAYS JET BLUE IS NOT READY TO MAKE A DECISION YET.
BUT DAVID FIELD, THE AMERICA’S EDITOR OF THE LONDON BASED AIRLINE BUSINESS MAGAZINE, SAYS IF ITS BETWEEN BOSTON’S LOGAN OR MANCHESTER, HE THINKS JET BLUE WILL CHOOSE THE LATTER.
:44: THE LOGIC GOES THIS WAY: THERE IS ALREADY A PUBLIC AWARENESS THAT MANCHESTER IS A LOW FARE AIRPORT BECAUSE OF SOUTHWEST, WHICH MEANS YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED THE DRIVE, ACCEPTED IT AS THE PLACE TO GO, IF PEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT A CHEAP FLIGHT THEY ARE GOING TO THINK ABOUT SOUTHWEST IN MANCHESTER, IF JET BLUE IS THERE ITS CERTAINLY GOING TO BE AN ATTRACTIVE ALTERNATIVE.
MANCHESTER AIRPORT DIRECTOR KEVIN DILLON SAYS THE SOUTHWEST’S SUCCESS SINCE SEPTEMBER 11TH HAS HELPED PUT THE SMALL AIRPORT ON THE MAP.
AND DILLON BRAGS THAT THE AIRPORT’S CHEAP PARKING AND ACCESSIBILITY BRINGS IN TRAVELERS FROM ALL OVER NEW ENGLAND.
HE SAYS THESE TRADEMARKS GIVE THE AIRPORT A LEG UP OVER THE HECTIC LOGAN.
7:00: I THINK PEOPLE HAVE REALLY BECOME DISENCHANTED WITH NAVIGATING THE BIG DIG AND NAVIGATING THE INFRASTRUCTURE AT LOGAN, ONE OF THE REAL HALLMARKS OF OUT SUCCESS IS COMING AND GOING.
AIRLINE BUSINESS MAGAZINE’S DAVID FIELD SAYS ALL THE CONSTRUCTION IN AND AROUND BOSTON IS JUST ONE OF THE REASONS AN AIRLINE LIKE JET BLUE MIGHT SHY AWAY FROM LOGAN.
8:40: IF YOU TALK TO AN AIRLINE EXECUTIVE OFF THE RECORD A LOT OF EXECUTIVES SAY THEY LOVE BOSTON, ITS GOT A LOT BUSINESS TRAFFIC BUT LOGAN IS A DIFFICULT AIRPORT TO OPERATE IN, JUST CAUSE OF THE PHYSICAL CONSTRAINTS AND THE FACT THAT IT’S A STATE AGENCY AND IT DOESN’T ALWAYS OPERATE THE WAY OF BUSINESS WOULD.
MASSPORT SPOKESMEN JOSE JUVEZ ADMITS THAT THE BIG DIG HAS MADE IT DIFFICULT TO GET TO LOGAN.
BUT HE SAYS THAT’S CHANGING.
3:19:AS THE BIG DIG WINDS DOWNS IN 2005 LOGAN WILL BE EVEN EASIER TO GET TO, SO I THINK WILL ACCESS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THERE WAS A REASON ALL THAT CONSTRUCTION WAS OCCURRING AND ONE OF THE REASON IS IT WILL MAKE IT EASIER TO GET IN AND OUT OF LOGAN AIRPORT.
JUVEZ SAYS JET BLUE OFFICIALS TOURED LOGAN A FEW WEEKS AGO, BUT DID NOT INDICATE THEIR PLANS.
1:38: ITS GOING TO BE A DECISION BASED ON THEIR BUSINESS PLAN WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT TO SERVE LONG HAUL MARKETS OUT TO THE WEST COAST IF THEY WANT TO DO SMALLER SEVICE JUST FEEDING JFK.
AIRLINES BUSINESS MAGAZINE DAVID FIELD SAYS JET BLUE MIGHT GO WITH LOGAN IF THEY WANT TO USE THE NEW ENGLAND HUB TO FLY CROSS COUNTRY.
HE SAYS THE AIRLINES RECENTLY EXPANDED ITS FLEET OF PLANES DESIGNED FOR NON-STOP CROSS COUNTRY TRIPS.
BUT KEVIN DILLION SAYS MANCHESTER WILL SOON BE ABLE TO HANDLE THE COAST TO COAST FLIGHTS.
8:27 THEY HAD INDICATED THAT WHEN THEY ESTABLISHED A PRESENCE IN THE BOSTON AREA THAT THEY HAD A DESIRE TO GO COAST TO COAST ONE YOU PROVIDE NON STOP SERVICE..THATS WHY VERY INTERESTED WHEN FOUND OUT EXPANDING OUR RUN WAY FROM 7000 TO 9250, THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO PROVIDE COAST TO COAST SERVICE.
DAVID FIELD ADDS THAT JET BLUE ALSO BOUGHT 100 SMALLER REGIONAL JETS THAT WILL BE READY IN AUGUST 2005.
3:19: MANCHESTER MAY BE A TEST MARKET FOR THE NEW REGIONAL JETS…THEY ARE DESIGNED FOR ROUTES THAT ARE FAIRLY THIN, I.E., ROUTES FROM THE SIZE OF MANCHESTER OR ISLIP OR ALBANY AND THEY FLOW TRAFFIC TO THE HUB AT JFK, SOME MAY DO THE FLYING DOWN TO FLORIDA, THEY WILL HAVE THE RANGE TO GET DOWN TO FLORIDA…
EDMUNDSON-JONES SAYS ONE FACTOR IN MANCHESTER IS THAT JET BLUE WILL HAVE TO LOOKT FOR ROUTES THAT SOUTHWEST DOESN’T ALREADY CHEAPLY SERVE.
IN THE PAST THE TWO AIRLINES HAVE AVOIDED COMPETING HEAD TO HEAD.
BUT IF JET BLUE PICKS MANCHESTER, THEIR EXTRA AMENITIES-LIKE THE PERSONAL TELEVISION, LEATHER SEATS, AND SEAT ASSIGNMENTS-COULD GIVE SOUTHWEST A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY.
BUT DAVID FIELD OF AIRLINE BUSINES MAGAZINE POINTS OUT THE TWO AIRLINES WOULD REALLY SERVE DIFFERENT MARKETS.
2:20: SOUTHWEST HAS MADE MANCHESTER A STARTING OFF POINT FOR A LOT OF ITS FLIGHTS DOWN THE EAST COAST TO FLORIDA….MANCHESTER BALTIMORE. FT. LAUERDALE. JET BLUE IS ESSENTIALLY AN EAST WEST AIRLINE AS MUCH AS IT IS A NORTH SOUTH AIRLINE SO YOU MIGHT GET A LOT OF SOUTHWEST TO FLORIDA AND JET BLUE TO THE WEST COAST WITH A STOP.
MANCHESTER’S KEVIN DILLON SAYS JET BLUE WOULD BE A GREAT ADDITION TO THE AIRPORT.
BUT HE ADDS IT’S NOT ESSENTIAL.
10:38 THE THING THAT’S IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND IS MANCHESTER ALREADY HAS A GREAT MENU AOF SERVICE AND WEATHER JET BLUE DECIDES TO COME TO MANCHESTER WE IWILL CONTINUE TO HAVE ALTERNATIVES, IF THEY COME THAT JUST AN ADDITIVE TO AN ALREADY GREAT MENU
IF IT APPEARS THAT MANCHESTER IS PLAYING HARD TO GET WITH JET BLUE, DAVID FIELD SUGGESTS THAT MAY BE DELIBERATE.
14:11:MANCHESTER HAS HAD A VERY STRONG BARGAINING AND MARKETING POSITION EVER SINCE IT GOT SOUTHWEST AND ITS PROBABLY IN THEIR BEST INTEREST TO PLAY IT THAT WAY…MANCHESTER HAS A VESTED INTEREST TO LOOK LIKE ITS NOT TRYING TO ATTRACT COMPETITION TOO MUCH FOR SOUTHWEST
BUT FIELD SAYS THE COMPETITION WOULD BE A GOOD THING FOR THE AIRPORT.
HE SAYS IT WOULD TURN MANCHESTER INTO THE DISCOUNT AIRPORT FOR THE NEW ENGLAND AREA.
FOR NHPR NEWS, I’M RK.
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