JetBlue considering ISP

[moose135]

From Newsday.com:

Long Island MacArthur Airport is on a short list of three as JetBlue Airways considers a new destination in the Northeast, officials said. As part of the sales pitch, airport and Islip Town officials Monday will join Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to announce the breakthrough at the Ronkonkoma airport, which operates about one-third its daily flight capacity. Schumer, who has a history of working with JetBlue, called the carrier's chief executive, Dave Barger, Friday to lobby on behalf of MacArthur...

The two other airports in contention have not been disclosed, but sources said they are both out-of-state regional airfields...

JetBlue will not tip its hand, but a spokeswoman acknowledged it plans an aggressive market expansion "throughout the Americas," and that MacArthur is a contender.

Full story at above link.

[NIKV69]

Good ol Chuck, glad to have him on our side here.

[steve1840]

Oh how I hope one of the other contenders is PVD! I would love to see some JB tails flying into Providence. Plus, then if would be easier for me to fly them.

[T-Bird76]

***YAWN***

[hiss srq]

My oh my how lovely that would be. Not that it matters to me, it takes me 20 mins to get from my front door to the L1 door most of the time at JFK.

[B6Busdriver]

To Only way I could see us opening up Islip is if we are looking to add new route from JFK. Moving some flights from JFK out there would free up some slots but from everything I've heard we would not do that unless we felt we had the demand for Long Islanders to use us out of Islip. Meaning we could fill a 320 or 190 consistently from there because what we don't want to do is make people from the city drive out to long island to catch a flight to MCO. I think if we do start service there it can only mean good things for the airline. Keep the growth coming!

[steve1840]

Busdriver - I know you probably can't really discuss what your company is doing, but from a pilots point of view do you think that PVD could ever be a viable market for JetBlue? I know you guys have a few daily flights in and out of BDL, so do you think that since BDL and BOS have JetBlue service that PVD would probably not get considered?

[B6Busdriver]

I've asked about PVD and have been told it's not on the radar. It was for quite some time before we started BDL but it was decided that BDL was far more underutilized. Plus CT has a very high contigent of Puerto Rican population which is where our focus is right now. I'd love to add PVD service its a great airport but I just don't see it happening.

[emshighway]

Unfortunately I think this is a lot of drum beating on the part of Chuck, Phil Nolan and the Airport. The news I have heard has been from them and not JetBlue. Southwest is going down to 18 flights and the airport is fighting for their lives but it may be too little too late.

[T-Bird76]

Unfortunately I think this is a lot of drum beating on the part of Chuck, Phil Nolan and the Airport. The news I have heard has been from them and not JetBlue. Southwest is going down to 18 flights and the airport is fighting for their lives but it may be too little too late.

Wouldn't be shocked...this has been the case with ISP for years...airlines build it up...and then down it comes. ISP has to be a huge disappointment for WN, its been a strategic failure having spent what they did for that terminal expecting to build the better mouse trap...

[NIKV69]

Without runway expansion ISP will never grow. It's that simple. Not to mention WN taking away good routes like a ISP-LAS NS doesn't make much sense either. Forces people like me or my folks to just drive the extra distance to JFK to get a flight without hopscotching the country. and needing all day for a 5 hour flight. ISP will just be a snowbird outfit.

[hiss srq]

I see ISP as a viable operation possibility personally. Looking at the news headlines made yesterday and the general response I feel like on Florida markets JetBlue would give Southwest a very serious run for their money with the VFR traffic. Just reading response in general to the articles all over the place, it seems like people would go east to Islip in favor of JetBlue instead of Southwest. People don't like the product Southwest puts out compared to JetBlue from my experince. I'll stay mum from there.

[NIKV69]

JetBlue would give Southwest a very serious run for their money with the VFR traffic. Just reading response in general to the articles all over the place, it seems like people would go east to Islip in favor of JetBlue instead of Southwest. People don't like the product Southwest puts out compared to JetBlue from my experince. I'll stay mum from there.

This is a given but in the current climate it still is just a loser. I do see some chance to build on having some non stops to LAS which would be profitable but what other routes can B6 have year round to make it worthwhile?

[steve1840]

Unfortunately I think this is a lot of drum beating on the part of Chuck, Phil Nolan and the Airport. The news I have heard has been from them and not JetBlue. Southwest is going down to 18 flights and the airport is fighting for their lives but it may be too little too late.

I'm sure its been brought up in discussions on here before, but what ever happened to ISP? When I was growing up and would visit my grandparents in Islip, who's house was directly in line with the approach path for Runway 6, the traffic was pretty heavy. I'd say there was easily 8-10 flights an hour flying over their house. And the traffic was USAir, Delta/NW, Continental, USAir Express, American, United, and I believe I caught the tail end of the Eastern era. Why did everybody pull out of ISP? That could be a good little airport to spot at if they got some sort of variety and would fill it to capacity.

[hiss srq]

All you really need are the snowbird markets at ISP to make it work. I think more people would choose ISP over JFK from easern Long Island if they were given the choice to fly Blue or Southwest. Let's face it, while cost is important, people are tired of jockeying for seats next to each other, cattle call boarding, and former Pan Am flight attendants in what amounts to almost tan boy shorts trying to be funny. Not to mention, no IFE etc etc etc.... JetBlue has a better product and by virtue of that alone if JetBlue came into ISP flying to places like MCO, PBI, RSW and TPA Southwest would quickly lose market share. Personal opinion but it seems that the public opinion mirrors my statement.