JetBlue Customers and TrueBlue Members Donate $820,000 to the Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts

NEW YORK, Dec. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU), New York's Hometown Airline™, today announced a special donation made by its crewmembers and customers to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy Relief efforts in the New York metro-area. Following Hurricane Sandy JetBlue quickly mobilized and launched jetbluegives.org to engage customers and TrueBlue members in fund raising efforts for the Red Cross. Throughout November, customers donated $720,000 to support the relief and recovery efforts of impacted communities. JetBlue matched the first $100,000 bringing the grand total to $820,000. On Monday, Dec.17, Rob Maruster, JetBlue's chief operating officer (COO), and Robin Hayes, JetBlue's chief commercial officer (CCO) were joined by two customers that donated via jetbluegives.org.  Niki Glarkis and Rosalind Sutherland represented the more than 7,400 JetBlue customers and TrueBlue members that gave so generously.  

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121218/NY31539 )
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"As Board Chair for the Red Cross of Greater New York and Chief Operating Officer at JetBlue Airways, I am personally invested in this partnership and excited to provide these funds courtesy of our generous customers to relief efforts in the tri-state area," said Rob Maruster, JetBlue's chief operating officer.   "JetBlue is so grateful to our customers for their immediate response providing funds to the Red Cross. The giving spirit of our customers will provide much needed support and resources for those affected by Hurricane Sandy."

Following their donation, many customers shared comments, feedback and advice for the victims of Hurricane Sandy including the following:

• Niki Glarakis shared "Being a resident of Long Island I was affected by Sandy by losing power for a few days, however nowhere near the damage I saw in other areas. I knew I had to and felt obligated to help the communities that were hit hard by Sandy. It is heartbreaking to see the amount of loss and devastation Sandy left. I also donated money since JetBlue is a company that showed initiative to help. I did what I could and thank the many people and companies like JetBlue, who have made a difference. We will rebuild again."
• Rosalind Sutherland commented, "I live in New Orleans, so I am very aware of the emotional toll of living through a disaster. My advice to the victims of Sandy is to take one day at a time, one task at a time and don't try to go it alone. Remember that there are people who you will never see or meet, who are sharing what they can (money, clothing, volunteering, etc.) and praying for your safety and well-being. Hang in there!"

Click here to view additional customer comments. 

JetBlue's relationship with the Red Cross is an ongoing collaboration. JetBlue's COO Rob Maruster currently serves as Board Chair of the American Red Cross of Greater New York. Also, through this partnership, more than 500 JetBlue crewmembers have joined the Red Cross 'Ready When the Time Comes' (RWTC) program that trains community-based volunteers to mobilize with the Red Cross during a disaster.

"We are thankful for the generosity of JetBlue and its customers. As a longstanding partner of the Red Cross, JetBlue has consistently been there to provide whatever is needed whether it's resources, personnel or funds," said Jerry DeFranciso, American Red Cross, President of Humanitarian Services,. "Due to the kindness of JetBlue's customers, we will be able to provide much needed resources following Hurricane Sandy in the New York area."

JetBlue's JetBlueGives.org  was powered by KULA Causes and provided an immediate platform for JetBlue's customers to donate directly to relief efforts right in their local communities in the New York tri-state area. For every one dollar donated via the site, TrueBlue members received six TrueBlue points in return. Through this transactional giving program, JetBlue's loyal customers became donors providing much needed, time sensitive charitable donations.

About JetBlue Corporate Social Responsibility
At JetBlue Airways, our commitment to corporate social responsibility goes beyond raising cause awareness.  We are dedicated to developing impactful charitable partnerships, supporting and aligning ourselves with the communities in the cities we serve, and creating significant volunteer experiences for our crewmembers.  Our focus is to create programs and opportunities and fully engage our resources to connect with our communities within the areas of Youth & Education, Community, and the Environment. In addition, we align our efforts to reflect the diverse interests and core values of our business by striving to enrich the lives of others.  Moving forward, we will sustain JetBlue's charitable efforts through continuous support and unique programs that help promote positive social and environmental change. 

About JetBlue Airways
JetBlue is New York's Hometown Airline™ with other focus cities in Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Orlando and San Juan. 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) 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, South Carolina, Albuquerque, New Mexico and Philadelphia, PA in early 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.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at blog.redcross.org. 

SOURCE JetBlue Airways