JetBlue Airways Celebrates Move to Historic Hangar 8 at Boston Logan International Airport

BOSTON, Dec. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU), Boston's largest airline with more flights than any other carrier at Logan International Airport (BOS), today celebrated its aircraft maintenance base move to Hangar 8. JetBlue's Chief Operating Officer Rob Maruster along with other airline executives and crewmembers joined Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick; U.S. Congressman Michael Capuano (D-MA); Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Secretary & Chief Executive Officer Richard A. Davey; Massport CEO & Executive Director Thomas P. Glynn and the Logan airport community to commemorate the announcement. Business partners working jointly with JetBlue on project, including TBD Construction, were also on hand.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110404/NY76997LOGO)

As JetBlue flies towards its goal of operating more than 150 daily departures in Boston, its on-site aircraft maintenance needs will also grow.  Fifteen percent of the airline's fleet passes through Logan daily, significantly increasing the need for more jobs in Boston by the end of 2013.  JetBlue plans to increase its current Tech Ops crewmember levels by 25 percent, adding 30 new jobs next year.

"Today's move to Hangar 8 is a physical manifestation of our growth in Boston, which wouldn't have been possible without the hard work and notable expertise of our Tech Ops crewmembers here at Logan," said Mr. Maruster. "No other airline has ever served as many destinations as JetBlue in Logan's entire history. Our partnership and support with Massport helps to make this growth possible, and we are excited to continue breaking the mold with Bostonians as we look towards our airline's future growth throughout New England, adding more destinations and more flights to the places our customers want to go."

"JetBlue has once again stepped up to the plate with the decision to move into a new maintenance hangar," said Governor Deval Patrick.  "JetBlue's investments are creating good jobs in Massachusetts and its growing flight schedule demonstrates a serious commitment to serving the people of the Commonwealth."

"I am happy to be here today celebrating JetBlue's expansion at Logan Airport," said Congressman Michael Capuano. "It will result in more jobs and more travel options for consumers, and benefit the regional economy."

"Thanks to the leadership of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, we have invested in transportation with the understanding of the critical role it plays in the Commonwealth's economic future," said MassDOT Secretary & CEO Richard A. Davey. "I am pleased to join this celebration of a move that creates jobs while promising increased service for air customers."

"Everyone at Massport takes great pride in working for an economic engine for the region and this project is a great example of how Massport works with stakeholders to build a strong regional economy," said Thomas P. Glynn, Massport's CEO and Executive Director. "The $16 million Massport invested in this project will be paid back over time, but the immediate dividends are the excellent jobs created by JetBlue's growth in Boston."

JetBlue signed a five year lease on Hangar 8 in October of 2012. Hangar 8 was originally constructed for Northeast Airlines, which began service as Boston-Maine Airways in 1933. Amelia Earhart was one of Boston-Maine's co-founders, and the building was dedicated to her memory in 1949.

Technical Operations in Boston

JetBlue Tech Ops crewmembers uphold an uncompromising high standard of safety and service excellence when performing routine and non-routine maintenance and regulations compliance like Service Checks, Weekly Checks, A320 A-Checks, E190 600 Hour checks and higher, and Aircraft Modifications. The team also handles the procurement, repair and storage of aircraft parts.  By late 2009, as JetBlue's flights and destinations increased, on-site maintenance needs also grew in line with the carrier's network growth and Tech Ops began servicing up to 10 aircraft overnight with 57 crewmembers.  JetBlue now serves up to 33 aircraft per night with 118 crewmembers, a 300 percent increase over the last three years. The airline employs 850 Tech Ops crewmembers across its 75-city network.

JetBlue's Presence in Boston

On January 7, 2004 JetBlue, recognizing the need for high quality, competitively priced air service in Boston, began flying from Logan to three destinations: Denver, Orlando and Tampa, quickly followed by Fort Lauderdale and L.A./Long Beach. Bostonians warmly embraced JetBlue's award-winning mix of friendly service, spacious assigned seating and free in-flight amenities, including a first checked bag, unlimited snacks and drinks, and live TV programming on personal seatback screens, which prompted JetBlue to add more service.

JetBlue has experienced exponential growth since its debut in 2004, adding an average of five new destinations annually. This year, the airline launched direct service to Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas, Grand Cayman, The Cayman Islands and Nantucket, Mass., and has announced new service to Charleston, S.C. in 2013 with more to come. JetBlue now operates more than 100 daily flights to 46 nonstop destinations across the U.S., Caribbean and Mexico and serves approximately 7 million customers at Logan annually. 

Customers connecting through Boston on JetBlue from select destinations can also take advantage of convenient onward service to Europe and beyond on JetBlue's partner airlines Aer Lingus, American Airlines, Icelandair, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic, or to destinations throughout New England with Cape Air.

In addition to its Boston focus city, where it employs more than 2,000 crewmembers, JetBlue offers service from six other New England airports: Burlington, Vt.; Hartford, Conn.; Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Mass.; Portland, Maine; and Providence, R.I.

About JetBlue Airways                    
JetBlue, the #1 airline in Boston, is known for its award-winning service and free TV as much as its low fares. JetBlue offers the most legroom in coach of any U.S. airline (based on average fleet-wide seat pitch) and super-spacious Even More Space 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 75 cities with 750 daily flights and plans to launch service to Charleston, S.C. and Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2013. 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 JetBlue Airways