JetBlue Blog

Update 2 p.m. Thursday

In a formal coming together of the community following Monday’s tragedy, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino announced the formation of The One Fund Boston, Inc to provide aid for those in need. JetBlue has pledged $100,000 to support the fund, and we continue to work with our crewmembers, customers, friends and family in the Boston area to assist as we’re able.

Learn more about The One Fund Boston, Inc.

Below is a video from the Bruins game last night, a very touching moment when the collective voice of the American people singing the national anthem resonated throughout the arena.

Update 4 p.m. Tuesday

Operations remain on or close to schedule at Boston’s Logan (and throughout our network), though we do still recommend leaving a little extra time for security at BOS and checking your flight status on jetblue.com before heading to the airport. Remember that we’re also offering fee waivers for changes and cancellations for those originally scheduled to fly to/from Boston today or tomorrow to rebook through Sunday, April 21.

We’re offering travel assistance to loved ones who need to get to Boston and ask that those in need please reach out the Boston Mayor’s office for more information. As Boston’s largest carrier with thousands of our crewmembers who call Boston home, our sadness is felt across our network.

Dave, our CEO (right) with our Airport Operations crewmember Ram (left), in a surprise visit he decided to make to our Boston station this morning to check in on our team there.

Update 9 a.m. Tuesday

We continue to send our thoughts to everyone in the Boston community during this difficult time. Our team at Boston Logan airport is out in force today, and while customers may want to allow more time for security, flights are moving well. For specific flight information, please check your flight status on jetblue.com

For those previously booked and unable to travel, our fee waivers remain in place: Customers who booked travel before April 15th, for travel to or from Boston today or Wednesday can now rebook through Sunday April 21 without fee. For those customers scheduled to to fly to or from Boston April 15-17, who need to move their flight beyond the 21st, we’ll waive the change fee.  Give us a call 1-800-JETBLUE and our agents will be able to assist you.

Update 7 p.m. Monday

At this time, Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) remains open for operations. We’re waiving change/cancel fees and fare differences for those customers originally scheduled to travel to/from Boston today, April 15 through 17 , 2013 to rebook through Saturday, April 20. Please call 1-800-JETBLUE for assistance.

We’re continuing to monitor the situation and will remain available to our partners to assist where we can – today and in the future.

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By now you may have seen news reports regarding an explosion this afternoon at the Boston Marathon. While the details are still unfolding, we’ve activated our incident operations center to locate all of our known crewmembers that were participating in or watching the Boston Marathon and to monitor any operational impact at Boston’s Logan.

Please check back here for operational updates at Logan International Airport and visit NBCNews.com for updates on the incident. If you’re flying to/from Boston, please be sure to check your flight status.

As a sponsor of the Boston Marathon with a large number of the JetBlue family based in the city, our thoughts are with the Boston community during this difficult time.

Our Boston crewmembers recently braved chilly temperatures at Revere Beach for the annual Save the Harbor/Save the Bay initiative. More than one dozen crewmembers joined together to raise $500 for the cause, which rallies around keeping Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay restored and protected. Their fundraising was part of a larger effort from Boston’s beach communities, which garnered $30,000 to support Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, a non-profit organization.

This year’s “Cupid Splash” challenged participants to plunge into the freezing cold water to support the organization. We were proud to sponsor this event, and offer up some round-trip tickets to the highest overall fundraiser, and the person with the best “Cupid” costume.

This week we officially welcome Aer Lingus, Ireland’s flag carrier, to our home, Terminal 5 at JFK. At an event in Terminal 5 earlier this week, Scott Laurence, our Vice President of Network Planning and Partnerships was joined by Aer Lingus’ Kevin Reichart, Vice President Customer Service and Jack Foley, Executive Vice President North America. Celebrations also included Irish dancers in the terminal’s central marketplace, as well as Irish snacks and Terra Blues Chips for customers’ enjoyment.

We recently announced a codeshare agreement that expands the partnership linking the two carriers’ networks at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Boston’s Logan International Airport since 2008. Aer Lingus marketed flights to select JetBlue destinations are now available for purchase on www.aerlingus.com and through local and online travel agencies for travel on or after April 15, 2013.

With Aer Lingus’ move of its New York flight operations from Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport into our acclaimed Terminal 5,  customers connecting to one of our many destinations across the U.S. will benefit from same terminal connections and one-stop ticketing and baggage check-in for travel on both airlines – from the U.S. to Europe. Further, effective April 14, 2013, the minimum connection time from European arrivals to U.S. departures will be reduced to approximately 60 minutes. Customers travelling to Ireland will enjoy connections as fast as 40 minutes.

To welcome our partner, we’ve enhanced our 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, we’ll be doing all of the ground handling for Aer Lingus at Terminal 5 as part of the agreement.

We’re excited to announce the next up in our Live From T5 concert series: an exclusive live performance by Emeli Sandé on Friday, April 26 at 5 p.m. ET.

Sandé gracefully weaves together blues, jazz and R&B on her critically acclaimed debut CD “Our Version of Events.”  She will perform her chart topping single “Next to Me” as well as other selections during the first Live From T5 concert of the spring season. JetBlue’s Live From T5 concerts are held post-security at Terminal 5 (T5) at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York and are available exclusively to ticketed customers and lucky contest winners.

We’ve partnered with DailyCandy – the multi-platform digital women’s media company known for its expertly curated discoveries of fashion, food and fun — and Capitol Records to provide some of Emeli’s most devoted fans with access to this intimate performance. DailyCandy will be hosting sweepstakes for fans in six of their popular city editions–Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C–for a chance to meet Emeli and win a weekend trip to New York City. Winners will receive passes to the concert (winner plus a guest) and travel accommodations. Additional details, including how to enter and official rules, will be posted at DailyCandy.com/jetblue.

Learn more about Emeli Sandé 
Learn more about our Live From T5 concert series

Earlier this week, Dave, our CEO, was at Boston University (BU), where he spoke with Ken Freeman, Dean of BU School of Management, and university students. As part of the Dean Speaker Series, Dave’s conversation focused on our industry’s history; the relationship between customer engagement and revenue; tips on career success and more.

Catch the replay broadcast here.

We’re pleased to announce our next “Wings For Autism” event. For the past three years, our Boston crewmembers have volunteered their time to introduce the possibility of travel to children with autism spectrum disorders.

Autism now affects one in 88 children. Taking a family vacation with a child with autism can be stressful and for many families it is often an impossible dream. Anxiety, long lines, loud noises and unfamiliarity all come into play when navigating through the airport. “Wings For Autism” not only allows families to practice the boarding process, but the program also provides families with the time, resources and compassion for their children to become more comfortable with this new experience.  We work closely with The Charles River Center to train crewmembers to meet both the anticipated as well as unexpected needs of families traveling with a child with special needs.

“Wings For Autism” experiential field trips allow families to get familiar with air travel in a realistic, yet relaxed setting. The trips include:

• Trained JetBlue crewmembers providing assistance throughout the process
• The use of a stationary JetBlue aircraft for families to practice the boarding process
• Time for families to become familiar with a plane’s interior
• The opportunity to meet the pilots and inflight crewmembers
• Family activities, unlimited JetBlue snacks, and more

The Boston “Wings For Autism” program will take place on Sat. April 6 from 9am to 1 pm. Families interested in participating, should visit Charlesrivercenter.org.

Check out our previous “Wings For Autism” events

Our commitment to growth in Boston continues as we announce the addition of two daily flights between Boston’s Logan International Airport and Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport starting July 25, 2013. We’re excited to offer the first regularly scheduled flight between these great airports as we continue to add destinations of importance to our customers and Boston’s business community

Houston will also be our 49th destination from Boston Logan Airport. To celebrate this milestone, customers can now book sale fares from $49 one way between Boston and Houston through April 2, 2013 at jetblue.com for travel between September 3 and October 9, 2013 (blackout dates apply) (a).

JetBlue’s schedule between Boston and Houston:

(a) Fare includes government taxes/fees and must be purchased by 4/2/13 (the earlier of 11:59 PM ET or local) for flights between Boston, MA (BOS) and Houston, TX (HOU) on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday only between 9/3/13 and 10/9/13. 21-day advance purchase required. Fare is subject to availability; may not be available on all flights; may change without notice; must be purchased at time of reservation; and is one-way, nonstop, nonrefundable and nontransferable. Reservations made one week or more prior to a flight’s scheduled departure may be canceled without penalty up to 24 hours after the reservation is made. First checked bag is free (weight and size limits and exceptions for itineraries including flights marked or operated by other airlines apply). Fare does not include fees for oversized/overweight/extra baggage or other fees for products/services sold separately. To view baggage fees and other optional services and fees, click here. $20 fee per person applies to fares (not Award flights) purchased by phone or at an airport or ticket office. Cancellations/changes must be made prior to scheduled departure (otherwise all money for fare is forfeited); $100 change/cancel fee per person will apply, and for changes, there may be a fare adjustment. Cancellations receive JetBlue travel credit, valid for one year. Proper documentation required for boarding. Other restrictions apply.

My colleague Miguel, JetBlue tech expert and Airport Operations Supervisor in San Jose, California noted in his recent Tech Thursday column about how our customers sometimes leave behind souvenirs or more gadgets, like phones or handheld games, on our planes.

There are some items people may lose, that may not seem significant to many.  But to the person who lost it, it can be devastating.  Like a beloved teddy bear left onboard a flight to Orlando recently by a four-year-old named Dane.

I was in the Orlando airport recently waiting to board a flight to visit my sister in the Boston area, when I overheard a couple discussing an item their son had left on one of our planes several days before.  When I inquired if I could help, I learned that they had already filed a lost and found report in our Orlando Baggage Services office and the crewmembers there had traced the path of the aircraft that day and had reached out to the lost and found departments of each BlueCity into which the aircraft had flown.

The lost item was a teddy bear that their son had since he was an infant and he was very attached to it.

It reminded me of a time many years ago when I was able to reunite a set of monogrammed Mickey Mouse ears left onboard our aircraft with the child who had so proudly wore them during his trip to Disney World.

I found the ears and sent them to the little boy and days later I received a note from his mother, along with a picture of a smiling child wearing the mouse ears.  She told me how disappointed he was when they realized he had left the ears onboard the plane and she figured they were gone for good. He thought it was magic that they had been returned to him.

Unfortunately not every lost item has such a happy ending.  Despite my efforts to alert my fellow crewmembers in Orlando, New York and Fort Lauderdale to be on the lookout for Dane’s teddy bear, we were unable to locate it.  I did, however, receive many emails of support in response from crewmembers who offered suggestions and phone numbers for their airports’ general lost and found, and those who requested I keep them updated on the progress to find the lost bear.

I had resigned myself to the fact that the bear was gone when I learned of our Valentine’s Day contest we recently held for customers in which the winners received tickets and a beautiful human-size bear from Vermont Teddy Bear.  I reached out to my colleagues in our New York headquarters and in true JetBlue fashion, they offered to send a bear (that’s probably bigger than him) to Dane to help lift his spirits.

We know that the bear we sent will not take the place of his beloved lost teddy, but we hope when Dane hugs his new bear at night, he feels that is it not too big, not too small, but just right.

Learn more about Diane and stay tuned for the next edition of A Tale of Blue Cities!

We recently held our second annual Community Connection Awards and Recognition dinner, where we celebrated the crewmembers who spent more than 100 hours volunteering last year. Between time spent at work, day-to-day running around, and quality time with family and friends, it can be difficult to find a few hours of giving back, let alone 100 hours! But since our crewmembers are inherently caring, they proactively carved out time to give back to their communities. Below are a few crewmembers who our Corporate Social Responsibility team honored.

Ellen Berris, First Officer A320 (FLL)
School Volunteer

Ellen started volunteering her time years ago when her two children were in pre-school, and quickly learned that being a Pilot is fascinating to little kids.

Initially, Ellen served as a guest speaker in the classroom and over time, this became more frequent and expanded to include appearances at the elementary and high schools. She’s also part of a lecture series for adult education and senior citizens. To her, it’s an honor to talk about aviation and possibly spark a few careers in our industry.

It’s important to Ellen that her children see her volunteering within their elementary school, Little League teams, and Children’s Theater group program so that they understand the importance of giving back to the community. She believes that the best way to teach them the value of hard work and dedication to the causes you’re passionate about is to lead by example.

Ellen is on hand for whatever is needed—she’s your go-to gal for assisting with lunch duty, helping out in the classrooms, working the Little League conscession stand, costume changes and prop placement, and more. Her favorite volunteer moment is the Annual Meyer Academy field trip to JetBlue. The school, located in West Palm Beach, coordinates a visit each year and Ellen is there to show them around the flight deck, and teach them about the importance of teamwork in aviation.

Ronald Williams, Airport Operations (SLC)
Works with physically disabled children

Ronald is one of the founders of The OpportunityFoundation of America. The organization aims to improve the quality of life for physically disabled children and adults, and has partnered with Boston College to develop assistive technology called EagleEyes (Boston College’s mascot is the eagle). The technology allows individuals, most of whom can’t speak and can only move their eyes and head, to communicate via a computer screen by moving their eyes. Complete with recreation, education, and communication programs, the technology has greatly helped these individuals to develop at an impressive pace.

Ronald volunteers approximately 30 hours a month, and he oversees fundraising and marketing initiatives, as well as working with disabled children who receive an EagleEye system. “To watch them learn and discover for the first time that they have control of something, and can communicate is my favorite thing ever,” says Ronald.

Gregory Atchley, Solutions Developer (OSC)
Volunteer at Gives Kids the World

Give Kids the World is a nonprofit story book resort in central Florida, where children with life-threatening diseases and their families, can escape for an all expenses paid trip, courtesy of “wish” organizations like the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Greg has been involved with Give Kids the World since the early ‘90s, and spends as much time at the resort as his schedule allows—sometimes up to three nights per week. Dressed in character, Greg is the village’s “Mayor Clayton,” and welcomes the children at nightly parties at the resort, where attendees sing, dance, and play.

Greg told us about his favorite volunteer moment, while he was volunteering at a Give Kids the World event—Ice Cream for Breakfast!—in Stamford, CT. A little girl gave “Mayor Clayton,” or Greg, a hug and shared that she is officially in remission. She thanked him and said, “I am healthy because of my trip to see you!”

Bonni Simi, VP Talent (LSC)
Luge coach for youth

Bonny has always had a passion for recruiting and developing talent. When she isn’t leading our Talent programs here at JetBlue, she’s coaching two winter sports: luge and bobsledding. Yes, our current VP of Talent is a three-time luge Olympian, and for the past 30 years has channeled her love for the game into a meaningful volunteer experience.

Bonny spends time in both Salt Lake City and New York for work, and makes time to volunteer in Park City, Utah and Lake Placid, New York—home to the only two luge and bobsled tracks in the U.S. Here, she trains the local youth, nearly every weekend throughout the winter. Bonny has coached thousands of young kids, dozens of national champions, and even a handful of Olympians. She is also an internationally certified to judge races luge and bobsledding. While she has numerous moments of sheer gratification from coaching—those times when she felt like she was making a difference—Bonny’s proudest moment ever was watching one of her students become the first African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal.

Vonetta Flowers won the gold in 2002 for bobsledding, just a few years after Bonny had recruited her to the sport and personally coached her to world class status!

Welcome to Tech Thursdays, penned by Miguel, tech expert and our Airport Operations Supervisor in San Jose, California. This month’s topic is Google Glass – that cool, new innovation from Google that will allow you to see the world through the eyes of other’s – and what it means for travel.

Technology plays a big part in travel, whether it’s snapping that stunning vacation photo or looking up the best place to eat. Even with today’s smartest smartphones and tablets, you have to pull the device out of your pocket, look down, swipe or punch buttons to access that powerful computing power when you need it. Google plans to make it less visible by putting it’s latest tech, well, right in front of your face.

They’re hoping to achieve this magic trick with Google Glass, high tech glasses that can display and capture information, photos and videos in front one of your eyes. Rather than swiping and touching buttons, Google Glass operates via voice commands, head gestures and simple tap controls. After watching several videos on YouTube, it’s tough to ignore the potential that Google Glass has to change the way we use it while traveling.

At JetBlue, we created some visual examples of how this technology might look like being used by customers flying with us. We like innovative ideas that inspire innovative thinking. Our ideas are just concepts, but conceptual thinking is a great way approach old problems in new ways, and maybe settle on something that really works and is achievable!

Say you’re flying from San Francisco to New York, for instance. You can see flight information as soon as you enter the San Francisco terminal. Upon arrival in JFK, you can tap your Glass and say, “Flight 644 baggage claim.” Viola! The information is revealed without missing a step. Want to know the taxi fare to your Boston destination? Just tap and talk to the Glass.

Since we’re in the “What I would do with Google Glass” daydreaming stage, allow me to take the concept of Augmented Reality a little further with some dreamed up voice commands that could potentially one day make your travel experience even easier:

“Check-in, select seat”

Easy enough for a voice command, right? Glass could return a response showing me a seat map and tell me which ones are available, or even give me the option of upgrading to an Even More Space seat.

“Play”

Once at cruising altitude, this voice command could give me a list of entertainment options in both in-flight or within my own library. I can choose to watch DIRECTV channels or play a game with another customer on board. All within the privacy of my Glass.

“Scan”

The usual view at 38,000 feet is lots and lots of beautiful fluffy clouds. I’m one of those flyers who look out the window and try to make out the landscape and geography. With the “scan” command, I’d get a display telling me information about the land, mountains and waterways while I’m flying over it. Add this to the complimentary DIRECTV and SiriusXM radio and that five hour flight just got extremely short.

“Translate”

With the built-in microphone, the Google Glass can also “hear” audio. Could can employ Glass to translate the language of the person talking while in, let’s say, Puerto Rico? With a little homework, you should be able to respond in proper Spanish with guidance from Glass.

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement with all the Google Glass news, YouTube videos and blogs. The concept of augmented reality intrigues and amazes, but how augmented do you want your reality to be? After watching my 50-pound computer shrink to fit my pocket, play video games simultaneously with 500,000 players worldwide and witnessing my cousin’s wedding live from 9,000 miles way, I say, “Why not?” I really doubt that this Glass is half-empty.

Read Miguel’s previous column Sharing the Gift and Don’t Leave Your Gadgets Behind.

Learn more about Miguel and stay tuned for the next edition of Tech Thursdays!