JetBlue Named Official Airline Partner of the New York Comedy Festival

NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU) today announces a new collaboration with the New York Comedy Festival (NYCF) as the official airline partner. NYCF will celebrate its 10^th anniversary with this year's festival taking place November 6 to 10, 2013. As the exclusive airline of the Festival, JetBlue will also serve as the presenting sponsor of the festival's New York's Funniest competition.

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The New York Comedy Festival is known for bringing the best in live stand-up to New York City. The festival is also dedicated to providing a platform for aspiring comics. The winner of the New York's Funniest competition will have a chance to prove their comedy chops on one of the most legendary stages – Carolines on Broadway. Hopeful comedians can enter from September 27 to October 11, 2013 by uploading a 15-second clip to Instagram including the @JetBlue handle and #NYFunniest hashtag showcasing their comedic talent. (a) Learn more at http://bit.ly/NYFunniest.

Fans will vote via Facebook.com/JetBlue to select three funny finalists. Voting will take place between October 21 and October 25. The winner will receive two roundtrip JetBlue flights to New York and hotel accommodations at Yotel, tickets to the festival and the chance to perform a five minute set on stage at Carolines on Broadway during the #NYFunniest final round, sharing the stage with several renowned comics. The winner will be announced on October 28, followed by the final competition on November 9 at Carolines on Broadway during the festival.

"We are New York's Hometown Airline, so this fits perfectly with our NY Hometown focus. It was only right for us to be a part of the search for New York's Funniest. After all, fun is one of our core values at JetBlue," said Ariana Pernice, manager regional marketing for JetBlue Airways.

The 2013 New York Comedy Festival will feature more than 175 of the country's top and emerging comedians performing in more than 70 shows throughout the city during the five-day laugh fest.  Some of the comedy industry's biggest stars will perform in some of New York City's most prestigious venues, including the Beacon Theatre, Carnegie Hall, the Theater at Madison Square Garden and Town Hall, to name a few. The festival's roster includes Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Kathy Griffin, Jim Jefferies, Anthony Jeselnik, Bill Maher, John Mulaney, Nick Swardson, Larry David and David Steinberg, Jay Pharoah, Charlie Murphy, and Wanda Sykes. 

Tickets for the New York Comedy Festival can be purchased at www.nycomedyfestival.com. The 2013 NYCF is presented in association with COMEDY CENTRAL. Now in its tenth year, the festival is produced by Carolines on Broadway. Sponsors are: JetBlue, Citi, LG, Sprint and Toyota. The media sponsors are: New York Post, Time Out New York, Variety and the Village Voice.

"When we created the New York's Funniest Stand-Up competition for the New York Comedy Festival, we were excited at the prospect of discovering and recognizing some of the great emerging stand-up talent in the city," says Louis Faranda, Talent Producer for the New York Comedy Festival and Carolines on Broadway. "We're thrilled to have our partner, JetBlue, provide this exciting new social media element to the event that will allow aspiring comedians from around the country the opportunity to share their talents on the same stage with the competition finalists," Faranda adds.

JetBlue is known for its Fun value, award-winning customer service, and many premium offerings, including a first checked bag free (b), assigned leather seating with legroom to spare, and more than 140 channels of complimentary live television and radio on personal seatback screens (c). The airline, well-known for its superior and personable customer service, also offers a free and unlimited assortment of name brand snacks and soft drinks for the ride.

About the New York Comedy Festival
Now in its tenth year, the New York Comedy Festival is produced by Carolines on Broadway in association with COMEDY CENTRAL. The festival has featured the country's top comedians, including Louis C.K., Bill Maher, Ricky Gervais, Dane Cook, Kevin Hart, Sarah Silverman, Aziz Ansari, and Wanda Sykes, to name a few. In 2007, the festival launched the "Stand-Up for Heroes" event to benefit The Bob Woodruff Foundation, which has featured performances by Robin Williams, Jon Stewart, Jerry Seinfeld, Lewis Black, Ricky Gervais, Conan O'Brien, Bruce Springsteen, John Mayer and Roger Waters.   

About JetBlue Airways
As New York's Hometown Airline™ and a leading carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Los Angeles (Long Beach), Orlando and San Juan, JetBlue carries 29 million customers a year to 79 cities in the US, Caribbean and Latin America with more than 700 daily flights. With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all fares are one-way, and an overnight stay is never required. JetBlue's fleet totals 188 aircraft, comprising 129 Airbus A320s and 59 EMBRAER E190s. Upcoming destinations include Savannah, Ga.; Worcester, Mass.; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; and Lima, Peru, subject to receipt of government approval. For more information please visit www.jetblue.com.

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SOURCE JetBlue Airways