jetBlue Coming To Westchester County Airport!

[x635 4,066]

AWESOME NEWS to start the morning and week!

Special thanks to dadbo46 for the heads up this article was in todays paper!

Wait is on for JetBlue at Westchester County Airport

Caren Halbfinger, The Journal News

(Original publication: January 8, 2007)

A week from tomorrow, air travelers should know whether they will soon be able to lean back in a JetBlue leather seat, channel-surf and munch on blue potato chips as they take off into the skies over Westchester.

Last week, the stage was set for JetBlue to enter this travel market when the county held one of its quarterly lotteries. For the first time, JetBlue was one of 15 air carriers that vied for the right to do business in Westchester, along with AirTran, which has been quite popular since it arrived in April.

The names of all 15 air carriers were plucked out of a fishbowl to determine the order in which they would choose from available time slots for flights and from the remaining passenger capacity. JetBlue was No. 9; AirTran was 11. The lottery went for six rounds, from one air carrier to the next, with each able to make four choices per turn.

The flight schedule is managed in this unique and antiquated way because the airlines are bound by a terminal-capacity agreement, fought for by Westchester County, which limits the number of flights to four per half-hour from 5 a.m. to midnight. Every 30 minutes, no more than 240 passengers may arrive or depart from these gates. The passenger count is spread among two larger aircraft and two smaller ones. The passenger limit covers only commercial airlines. Most of the airport's traffic comes from private or corporate aircraft and is unregulated.

For up to 150 passengers, JetBlue chose departure times of 5:30 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 7:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 10 p.m., 10:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., and arrivals of 7 p.m., 8 p.m., 9 p.m., 9:30 p.m., 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. The JetBlue executive who made the picks, James Smith, director of properties, said he didn't know yet whether JetBlue would begin serving Westchester. He said the company would evaluate all the costs of doing business here.

"We're evaluating all the airports that are in our region and whatever opportunities exist," Smith said with a poker face. "It's another airport, and it happens to be in our backyard."

For up to 71 passengers, AirTran chose three new flight times - a 3 p.m. arrival and 2 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. departures - and increased the number of passengers who could fly on the existing flights.

But either company could wind up with different time slots than the ones they chose, because the air carriers can trade among themselves, as long as each slot still has two large aircraft and two small ones and does not exceed the 240-passenger limit.

JetBlue, AirTran and the other airlines must notify the county by next week what flights they plan to schedule, must fly them at least five days a week and must begin service by March 5.

"JetBlue's entry, I think, you can attribute to our market," said John Kirby, director of strategic planning and scheduling for AirTran. "We announced Stewart (Airport in Newburgh). They announced Stewart. We announced White Plains; now they're in White Plains. Give them credit for recognizing a good idea when they see one."

Hearing that it was a possibility, some passengers grinned and rhapsodized about the comfy leather seats, the personal televisions and the customer service on JetBlue. AirTran offers satellite radio and free snacks but is not known for its seats or in-flight entertainment.

Amanda Macellaro, who grew up in Armonk, was flying from the county airport last week for the first time because of AirTran, but was excited by the possibility that JetBlue might come to Westchester.

"It's way convenient," said the 27-year-old kindergarten teacher, who was returning home to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on an AirTran flight with her husband, Kevin Stransky, after a holiday visit to their folks. "We always go JetBlue. We're True Blue members. That would be wonderful if they flew here."

Claire Hart, a Stamford, Conn., native who was returning to Fort Lauderdale on the same flight with her 4-year-old, Heather, and her husband, Todd, emphatically agreed.

"Their seats are bigger; they have oversized leather seats, DIRECTV on every seat back," Hart said. "I normally fly JetBlue. If the price was cheaper, I would have been on JetBlue to JFK. AirTran doesn't have all that, so I had to bring a portable DVD player and a bunch of movies for my daughter."

If JetBlue does decide to begin flying in and out of Westchester, it will almost certainly spark more changes at the county airport. Since AirTran launched service between Westchester and Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach and Orlando, the airport has become busier and more diverse. Fewer seats are empty, and instead of seeing 1,800 travelers on Dec. 26, as usual, the airport handled 2,800. Jeans-clad college students sprawl in a hallway here, a cluster of Hasidic men in black hats and coats talk amongst themselves there, and a lot more parents and grandparents maneuver loads of luggage and strollers through tightly packed spaces at the formerly subdued airport.

The airport has added 50 folding chairs to the departure lounge, but at peak periods like Christmas, there aren't enough seats or parking spots to go around. Airport manager Peter Scherer has invited airline passengers into one of his conference rooms to make them more comfortable, and he said the airport needed 400 extra parking spaces during the holiday. He managed to find enough parking by shifting employees elsewhere and using the employee lot for passengers. And new wrinkles crop up: Parents who had to drop off their minor children for unaccompanied flights had no temporary place to park while they signed their children over to airline personnel and handled the paperwork before driving off.

"We're finding creative solutions," Scherer said. "Westchester residents now have a reason to use their county airport."

[FF402 133]

That is great news...but is there any chance that the residents of Rye Brook and Greenwich would fight this over noise concerns?

I know Airtran flys the "Quiet" 717 in, but jetBlue has the A320 and E190- are those louder?

[x635 4,066]

Still waiting on an announcment from jetBlue....hope this doesn't fall through because of HPN's very restrictive operating rules.

[bob803 1]

This would be great. Easier to use my buddy passes. Going out of LGA or JFK can well just be a pain:D

[jack10562 414]

That is great news...but is there any chance that the residents of Rye Brook and Greenwich would fight this over noise concerns?

I know Airtran flys the "Quiet" 717 in, but jetBlue has the A320 and E190- are those louder?

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The airport was there L O N G before any of the current residents in both towns, and they knew that it was there, before moving in.

My sage advise to those Don't like the noise....move.

[PEBBLES43 0]

http://www.jetblue.com/email/citysuggest.a...p=where_we_fly1

We should all e-mail Jet Blue & push for the Westchester County airport!!!

[khas143 13]

Don't get too excited.... at the last quarterly drawing for Gate times JetBlue got several times but they decided not to act on them.

[wcr20 17]

i'm waiting for hpn-ord!!!

[jayhalsey 6]

i'm waiting for hpn-ord!!!

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That would be awesome!!!

[Guest WCDES636]

HPN - LAS

[x635 4,066]

Don't get too excited.... at the last quarterly drawing for Gate times JetBlue got several times but they decided not to act on them.

←

jetBlue was present at the lottery last time, but did not participate.

We should know this week if jetBlue will start service from HPN, via an announcment from jetBlue.

[x635 4,066]

The suspense continues................

JetBlue mum on plans to fly from Westchester

JetBlue is delaying its announcement about whether it plans to begin flying from the Westchester County Airport. Although a decision was expected today, after numerous phone calls back and forth, airport manager Peter Scherer told JetBlue executives that as long as they begin flying by March 5, they wouldn't be penalized for delaying their decision.

Read more about this in The Journal News tomorrow.

[PEBBLES43 0]

They are coming.........

http://www.nyjournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...PDATE/701190438

[x635 4,066]

That's AWESOME! I can't wait until the official announcment from jetBlue, so I can be on the inuagral flight out of HPN!

I'm sure the executives of jetBlue are happy about this as well...since many of them live in Darien and New Caanan

Edited January 19, 2007 by x635

[JustSomeGuy 0]

Do you think the price will compare to flying out of LGA and JFK??? I certainly hope so but am doubtful, I have never flown jetblue, but from reading blogs here and hearing others opinions I want to book my next flight with them. I was told HPN is only allowed to take in and depart a certain number of commercial jets. I know its very convenient to fly out of westchester but the cost is way too high. I certainly hope Jetblue comes and brings there low fares too!

[helicopper 1,050]

Do you think the price will compare to flying out of LGA and JFK??? I certainly hope so but am doubtful, I have never flown jetblue, but from reading blogs here and hearing others opinions I want to book my next flight with them.  I was told HPN is only allowed to take in and depart a certain number of commercial jets.  I know its very convenient to fly out of westchester but the cost is way too high.  I certainly hope Jetblue comes and brings there low fares too!

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I'm flying JetBlue out of Stewart in a couple of weeks and the fares seem to be the same as JFK or LGA.

I, too, hope they come to Westchester although Stewart is even more user-friendly - easier parking, less crowded, fewer stupid limits on passengers per hour.

[JBE 328]

This is one of the advantages of living in the flight path of JFK. 5 minutes by car, 15 by train. Boom, in done and away we go.