It's "Wheels Up" for JetBlue's Disaster Relief Partnership with the Red Cross

NEW YORK, Nov. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The partnership between JetBlue Airways and the American Red Cross is really taking off and reaching new heights following a disaster-filled year across the United States. 

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The association began in 2009, when approximately 100 JetBlue employees from the airline's headquarters in Queens, N.Y., joined the Red Cross Ready When the Time Comes (RWTC) program. Today, more than 450 JetBlue employees from New York, Utah, California and Florida are now part of RWTC, and the airline plans to expand to other major bases. 

Ready When the Time Comes is a volunteer program that taps into the human resources of corporations and community groups. The groups are trained to mobilize as a community-based volunteer force when disaster strikes. 

Last month, eight JetBlue Ready Team members put their training to the test when they traveled to Binghamton, N.Y., in the wake of record-level flooding caused by Tropical Storm Lee. 

For seven days they worked as service associates at a Red Cross shelter, where community members had taken refuge. The eight agreed that their time spent helping shelter residents—serving meals, listening to peoples' stories, keeping young children occupied and more—was extremely gratifying. 

"There's someone out there that needs you," said Karlyn Tubens, JetBlue airport operations Crewmember. "Even playing cards with shelter residents was rewarding. We made it feel like home for them as much as we could." 

"It was eye-opening," added Liana David, in-flight Crewmember. "When you help people who have lost everything, it makes you realize what you have and not take it for granted." 

Athena Amideneau, JetBlue Analyst, Care & Emergency Response, who oversees the "Ready Teams," is enthusiastic about the partnership. 

"JetBlue brings flexibility to Ready When the Time Comes," she said. "We have the ability to recruit crewmembers whose positions can be covered."

In fact, RWTC has support at the highest level of the organization; Rob Maruster, the airline's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, serves as a member of the Greater New York Red Cross Board of Trustees.

The Binghamton response was the second time this year that Ready Team members deployed to a disaster outside of New York City. In June, six volunteers travelled to Bismarck, N.D.—a city the airline does not fly to—to support Red Cross relief efforts in preparation of pending flooding. 

"The Bismarck crew came back with a sense of accomplishment," said Amideneau. "They were really proud of what they brought to the table."

This past August, JetBlue also showed its compassion by contributing to the thousands of pounds of food supplies the Red Cross airlifted to New York's Catskill Mountains, where residents had been isolated by flooding caused by Hurricane Irene.  

JetBlue volunteers have also participated in numerous local Red Cross initiatives. They will be volunteering at the ING New York City marathon, which the Red Cross runs in as a participating charity; and have supported the organization's Service to the Armed Forces program, including taking part in NYC's Veterans Day Parade by handing out tissues, hot chocolate and of course, JetBlue chips. 

"JetBlue truly is one of our most valuable partners," said Marcela Espinoza-Prado, Red Cross regional director of volunteer and youth programs. "Their commitment and dedication to this program has been extraordinary and is helping us encourage even greater engagement with new and existing corporate partners."

 JetBlue plans to have another 300 employees join the RWTC program by the middle of 2012. 

"Our partnership with the American Red Cross makes us a better company and the Ready When the Time Comes program aligns perfectly with our caring value," said Penny Neferis, Director, Care & Emergency Response. "We are looking forwarding to continuing our productive partnership for years to come." 

That's a good thing, according to all concerned, including current team members, many of whom are looking forward to participating in another relief effort.

Avinash Singh, who works JetBlue Ground Operations and was part of the Binghamton Ready Team, said, "We'd all deploy again in a heartbeat. It was a really rewarding experience."

About the American Red Cross The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

About JetBlue Airways JetBlue is known for its award-winning service and free TV as much as its low fares, offering the most legroom in coach of any U.S. airline (based on average fleet-wide seat pitch) 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. Visit www.jetblue.com/promise for details. JetBlue serves 66 cities with 650 daily flights and later this year plans to introduce service to St. Croix and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands as well as La Romana, Dominican Republic and Liberia, Costa Rica. With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all fares are one-way, and an overnight stay is never required. For information or reservations call 1-800-JET-BLUE (1-800-538-2583), TTY/TDD 1-800-336-5530, 1-801-365-2583, or visit www.jetblue.com.

SOURCE American Red Cross in Greater New York