Exclusive: JetBlue Coming to Rhode Island
Friday, July 13, 2012
As GoLocalProv reported last September, Rhode Island officials led by Governor Lincoln Chafee and Providence Economic Development Director Jim Bennett have been courting JetBlue CEO David Barger to bring his high quality, low cost airline to TF Green airport. GoLocalProv has learned that Rhode Island will be the next airport of choice for JetBlue.
A formal announcement is coming next week.
Back in January, Bennett and Chafee presented Bargar, a Michigan grad, with an autographed football from Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady as part of their ongoing effort to woo the airline to Rhode Island.
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JetBlue launched back in 2000. Today, JetBlue stands out as one of the best successes in the post-deregulation airline industry, "We are the only major U.S. airline which began operations post-deregulation to survive into a second decade of operation on our own. Our continued success is dependent upon our ability to adapt to an everchanging environment and we believe we are well positioned to do just that," states JetBlue in its annual report.
Impact on Rhode Island
Next week's announcement will be a much-needed shot in the arm for the Rhode Island economy and will create hundreds of new jobs for a state that ranks second worst in the country for unemployment.
The arrival of JetBlue brings momentum to TF Green, which was once one of the fastest growing airports in the country but has fallen on tough times in the past few years. In addition, the announcement marks a big economic development win for Governor Chafee who has spent much of his first 18 months in office dealing with budget issues, failing municipalities and the collapse of 38 Studios.
JetBlue Airways Corporation is a passenger airline that we believe has established itself as a “value airline” which, reflective of its customer base and network, provides a superior core product for a price and at a cost that enables JetBlue to profitably grow.
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