NEW YORK, May 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU) today announced its intent to serve Port-au-Prince, Haiti with daily nonstop service from both New York City and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood. From Toussaint Louverture International Airport (PAP) in the Haitian capital, JetBlue plans to offer one daily nonstop flight to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and twice daily flights to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), subject to receipt of government operating authority. Port-au-Prince will be JetBlue's 82nd BlueCity with service to begin on December 5, 2013 (a).
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In addition to JetBlue's nonstop service to South Florida, Port-au-Prince customers will be able to conveniently connect onwards from Fort Lauderdale to other destinations in the United States including Boston, MA; New York (JFK, LaGuardia and Westchester County); Newark, NJ; and Washington, DC (Reagan National). Customers traveling on JetBlue's new nonstop service from Port-au-Prince to New York will be able to connect to Buffalo, NY, Boston, MA, and Chicago, IL, among other destinations.
"We applaud JetBlue's decision to begin flights between JFK and Fort Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as of December 2013. This news is welcomed by the Haitian community which has been waiting for the happy day when we can enjoy JetBlue's award winning service," said the Consul General of the Republic of Haiti in New York, Mr. Charles Antoine Forbin. "Thank you JetBlue for casting your vote towards the development of our country and giving our diaspora the opportunity to visit the Motherland more often. This will no doubt give a boost to our country's economy."
"JetBlue continues to grow in the Caribbean thanks to the great reception our low fares and award-winning service have had in the region," said Scott Laurence, vice president of network planning for JetBlue Airways. "With expansion into Port-au-Prince, we plan to meet the demand for quality service to Haiti by offering competitive fares to the large Haitian diaspora in the United States. In turn, we look forward to helping to support the community on the island."
JetBlue's community involvement in Haiti predates its service announcement. In honor of Earth Day 2012, JetBlue partnered with Carbonfund.org Foundation to plant 83,000 trees in North and Northwest Haiti in order to rebuild areas impacted by the 2010 earthquake. In addition, to assist those most affected, JetBlue deployed crewmembers on its specially trained Care Team to its Santo Domingo station to coordinate with local agencies on the delivery of thousands of pounds of donated items to Haiti.
JetBlue in the Caribbean
Destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean now make up almost one-third of JetBlue's route network. In the Caribbean, JetBlue is the largest carrier in terms of capacity in both Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, offering more flights than any other carrier. JetBlue flies to more than ten countries, including Aruba. Barbados, and the Bahamas. This June, the airline is set to begin nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale and Medellin, Colombia, and in November to Lima, Peru, subject to receipt of government operating authority.
JetBlue's flights from New York to Port-au-Prince will be operated with its comfortable Airbus A320 fleet with seating for 150, while flights from Fort Lauderdale will be operated on its spacious 100-seat Embraer 190 fleet, both featuring its award-winning service and convenient, assigned seating; a first-checked bag free (b); complimentary and unlimited name brand snacks and drinks; comfy leather seats; and more legroom than any other carrier in coach (c).
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 77 cities with 800 daily flights and plans to launch service in 2013 to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Worcester, Massachusetts, Medellin, Colombia, as well as Lima, Peru, subject to receipt of government operating authority. 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) Subject to receipt of government operating authority.
(b) Free first bag subject to weight and size limits and exceptions for itineraries including flights marketed or operated by other airlines.
(c) JetBlue offers the most legroom in coach, based on average fleet-wide seat pitch for U.S. airlines.
SOURCE JetBlue Airways
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