Jet-Blue flies into TT

The flight, which was co-piloted by Trini-born Ronald Woodruffe arrived at about 1.15 pm carrying 150 passengers. At a press conference, held shortly after the flight’s arrival, at the VIP lounge, Jeffrey Goodell, vice-president of Government Affairs for JetBlue Airways Corporation, said Trinidad and Tobago has always been on the airline’s list.

“This is a market that we knew that JetBlue will do well in and it was a matter of finding the right time, a time when there was an eagerness for additional airlift and the value that JetBlue can bring to Trinidad and Tobago and a time when our expansion reached the right point,” he said.

The airline will have daily flights to and from New York and on May 1, it will add flights to and from Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, Florida which will offer 600 seats every day to and from Trinidad. This country is the airline’s 84th destination. Goodell said there was also potential for the airline to serve Tobago.

He said they were not an airline that goes into destinations with a plan of ever leaving.

“We have every confidence that this will be a very successful route,” he said.

He said when JetBlue enters a market they do not need to steal market share as they are able to “expand the pie”

“We are able...to create demand, to stimulate demand and we do that by low fares and great service,” he said.

He added that the airline’s model when fares are getting too high, was to add seats because they want to create the opportunity for more people to travel.

When asked how the airline felt about having to compete with State-owned airline Caribbean Airlines, he said they loved competition.

“We compete with airlines from all over the western hemisphere...we think competition is not only in our interest, it keeps us on our toes and it ensures that we are offering our customers the best experience. Transport Minister, Stephen Cadiz assured those at JetBlue that the decision to come to Trinidad was by far an excellent one.