JetBlue Airways Scores Big with New York's Newest Venue: Signs on as the Official Domestic Airline of Barclays Center

NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU), New York's Hometown Airline™, today proudly announces its status as the Official Domestic Airline of the brand new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, a major sports and entertainment venue showcasing an extensive variety of events, including premier concerts, major professional boxing cards, top college basketball, family shows, and the Brooklyn Nets.

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

On Thursday, Dec. 20 the airline will launch the partnership with Barclays Center Day from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., post-security at its world-class home at John F. Kennedy International Airport's (JFK) Terminal 5, complete with a branded SportPros court where ticketed customers will have the opportunity to shoot hoops for great prizes including flight giveaways and Nets game tickets.  The Brooklyn Nets dance team, Brooklynettes, will be onsite to entertain.

"Barclays Center represents renewal and innovation in New York, much like JetBlue was introduced over a decade ago," said Marty St. George, senior vice president of marketing and commercial strategy. "We're very happy to be part of this new endeavor, which promises to delight and entertain fans for many years to come. As the largest domestic carrier at JFK, with our new support center here in Long Island City, we're New York's Hometown Airline and, like the Barclays Center, will maintain our focus on top notch customer service, value and entertainment. The partnership is a perfect fit!"

"JetBlue is a great New York City-based airline, which offers the same commitment to top customer service and innovation as Barclays Center," Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark said. "We are looking forward to welcoming JetBlue passengers to Barclays Center for world-class sports and entertainment."

Each Thursday during the month of January, 2013, Barclays Center will host a "Bound for Brooklyn" sweepstakes, presented by JetBlue.  Customers can visit Barclays Center's Facebook page at facebook.com/barclayscenter and enter for the chance to win a pair of round trip JetBlue tickets to or from New York, plus a pair of tickets to an event at Barclays Center.  Five winners will be selected every Thursday for a total of 25 winners.

JetBlue's partnership with Barclays Center, located in the heart of Brooklyn and designed by the award-winning architectural firms Ellerbe Becket and SHoP Architects, includes exclusive digital street-to-seat signage for all events, courtside television-visible signage and baseline signage during Brooklyn Nets home games, and arena activation rights. Brooklyn's own JAY Z launched Barclays Center's inaugural season with eight sold out shows. The arena's BrooklynTaste™ culinary program, customer service, outstanding sightlines, easy accessibility, 101 luxury suites, four bars/lounges, three clubs and the newest location of the 40/40 CLUB & Restaurant by American Express, all guarantee that an event at Barclays Center is destined to be a memorable one.

JetBlue is the largest domestic airline at JFK, operating more than 150 nonstop flights daily to 56 destinations throughout the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America. The customer service friendly airline carried more than two million travelers from the airport last year to its many international destinations including: Barbados; Colombia; Costa Rica; Dominican Republic; Jamaica; Mexico; Saint Lucia; St. Maarten; and Turks and Caicos - all of which will soon enjoy the seamless experience of arriving into the new international arrivals terminal extension. 

About Barclays Center
Barclays Center opened on September 28, 2012, and is a major sports and entertainment venue in the heart of Brooklyn, New York. Developed by Brooklyn-based real estate developer Forest City Ratner Companies, and designed by the award-winning architectural firms AECOM (www.aecom.com/architecture) and SHoP Architects (www.shoparc.com), Barclays Center has one of the most intimate seating configurations ever designed into a modern multi-purpose arena, with unparalleled sightlines and first-class amenities. Barclays Center offers approximately 17,732 seats for basketball, 14,500 seats for hockey and up to 19,000 seats for concerts, and has 101 luxury suites, four bars/lounges, four clubs, and 40/40 CLUB & Restaurant by American Express.

Barclays Center is hosting an extensive variety of events, including premier concerts, monthly major professional boxing cards, top college basketball, family shows, the Brooklyn Nets and soon the New York Islanders.

In addition to Barclays, the naming rights partner, Founding Partners for Barclays Center include American Honda Motor Co., Inc., American Express, Calvin Klein, Cushman & Wakefield, EmblemHealth, Foxwoods Resort Casino, GEICO, MetroPCS, Stolichnaya, and Ticketmaster. Other sponsors include: adidas, Anheuser-Busch, The Coca-Cola Company, Haier America, High Point Solutions, JetBlue, LIU Brooklyn, New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge, SONY, and Willis. 

Located atop one of the largest transportation hubs in New York City, Barclays Center is accessible by 11 subway lines, the Long Island Rail Road, and 11 bus lines. 

For more information on Barclays Center, please visit www.barclayscenter.com.

About JetBlue Airways         
JetBlue is New York's Hometown Airline™ with focus cities in Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, New York City, San Juan, and Orlando. Known for its award-winning service and free in-flight entertainment 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) as well as 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., Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Philadelphia in 2013. With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all fares are one-way, and an overnight stay is never required. For information call +1 800-538-2583 (TTY/TDD +1 800-336-5530) or visit www.jetblue.com.

(a) No purchase necessary to enter or win the Sweepstakes.   The Barclays Center-JetBlue "Bound for Brooklyn" Sweepstakes is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States, at least 21 years of age or older at time of entry.  Void where prohibited.  Sweepstakes ends on 01/31/13.  Five winners will be selected at random each week during the month of January 2013.   There will be twenty-five winners total.  Each winner will receive (i) a pair of round-trip flight tickets courtesy of JetBlue (either destination or origin must be New York), and (ii) a pair of tickets to an event at Barclays Center.  The Sweepstakes are subject to the Official Rules to be made available at www.facebook.com/barclayscenter and all federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Sponsor: JetBlue Airways.

Reservations
+1 800 JETBLUE (538 2583)
TTY/TDD: +1 800 336-5530
www.jetblue.com 

SOURCE JetBlue Airways