JetBlue Flying to Chicago from Both Coasts

CHICAGO (AFX) - JetBlue Airways Corp. began flying to Chicago on Thursday from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Long Beach Airport outside Los Angeles, adding O'Hare International Airport as its 50th destination.

The six-year-old airline, which has been seeking to add Chicago service for years, offers five daily flights to New York from the city and two daily flights to Long Beach. It opted for O'Hare over crosstown Midway Airport, where low-fare rival Southwest Airlines is entrenched, but had to overcome opposition to its application by United Airlines.

'Mayor (Richard) Daley finally got us a gate,' JetBlue Chief Executive and founder David Neeleman said in a phone interview from O'Hare. 'We're very excited to be here. It was the No. 1 requested destination by our customers, so they're even happier than we are.'

New York-based JetBlue flies a fleet of Airbus 320 and Embraer 190 aircraft. The carrier has gained a niche by offering low prices, a single class of service and such amenities as a personal TV screen at every seat.

The airline is offering a temporary introductory sale fare of $78 round trip between Chicago and JFK and $198 round trip to Long Beach, with schedule limitations. Regular round-trip fares will range from $178-$498 for flights to and from JFK and $218-$698 for Long Beach.

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