JetBlue Welcomes Aer Lingus into JFK's Terminal 5

NEW YORK, April 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU), New York's Hometown Airline™, today officially welcomes Aer Lingus, Ireland's flag carrier, to JetBlue's Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport. This move will benefit customers connecting to one of JetBlue's many destinations across the U.S., providing same terminal connections, one-stop ticketing and baggage check-in for travel on both airlines from the U.S. to Ireland and beyond. Effective April 14, 2013, the minimum connection time from Ireland arrivals to U.S. departures will be reduced to approximately 60 minutes. Customers travelling to Ireland will enjoy connections as fast as 40 minutes.

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The two airlines recently announced a codeshare agreement that expands the 2008 partnership linking the two carriers' networks at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Boston's Logan International Airport. Codeshare flights will be available for sale through local and online travel agencies for travel on or after April 15, 2013. Single-ticket Aer Lingus-JetBlue connections are also available for sale on www.jetblue.com or www.aerlingus.com.

To welcome the new carrier, JetBlue has enhanced the menu offerings in many of the award-winning T5 restaurants, expanded both the size and selection of the T5 duty free/duty paid store, and added a new customer lounge, to be opened soon and available to all on a pay-per-use basis. Further, JetBlue will provide ground handling services for Aer Lingus at Terminal 5 as part of the agreement. JetBlue's Terminal 5 was the only domestic terminal in Frommers.com list of the 10 World's Most Beautiful Airport Terminals in 2012.

At a customer event in Terminal 5 today, Marty St. George, JetBlue's Senior Vice President of Marketing and Commercial Strategy was joined by Aer Lingus' Kevin Reichart, Vice President Customer Service and Airport Operations North America to celebrate the airline's move. Celebrations included Irish dancers in the terminal's central marketplace, as well as Irish snacks and JetBlue's signature Terra Blues® Potato Chips.

"We are pleased to welcome Aer Lingus, our long-time partners, into our home at Terminal 5," said Marty St. George at today's event. "This move will not only strengthen our partnership but provide customers with expedited connection times and seamless travel between the U.S. and Ireland. Further, Aer Lingus customers will be able to enjoy our award-winning facility when arriving and departing to Ireland."

Speaking at the event, Kevin Reichart said, "We are excited about our move to JetBlue's 'state of the art' Terminal 5. This is a further development of our partnership. Aer Lingus and JetBlue share a dedication to our customers and enjoy reputations for providing great value service. Customers will now enjoy the convenience of same terminal connections and faster connecting times, in addition to the unique T5 experience."

About JetBlue Airways       
JetBlue is New York's Hometown Airline™ with other focus cities in Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles (Long Beach), San Juan and Orlando. Known for its award-winning service and free inflight 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 76 cities with 800 daily flights and plans to launch service to Albuquerque, New Mexico; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Worcester, Massachusetts; and Medellin, Colombia later this year. 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 Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus is the national airline of Ireland, founded in 1936. The airline provides award winning customer service at great value prices living up to its customer promise of Great Care, Great Fare. Aer Lingus carries ca. 11 million passengers per annum to destinations in the UK, Europe and North America. It has four U.S. Gateways at New York, Boston, Chicago and Orlando and offers connections to another 50 U.S. destinations through its partnership with JetBlue. Aer Lingus serves central airport locations, throughout its network, enhancing connectivity options for our passengers. Aer Lingus' primary mission is to connect Ireland with the world, at a competitive price to passengers. The airline celebrates its 77^th anniversary in May of this year, making it one of the longest standing airlines in the world and has been serving the U.S. market since 1958.

SOURCE JetBlue Airways