After looking seriously at the idea of moving its corporate headquarters to Orlando in Florida, JetBlue Airways has decided to keep its headquarters in New York, where it will move into a historic building with a storied aviation past.
The airline will combine its current corporate offices in Forest Hills (in New York state) and Darien, Connecticut, which have nearly 1,000 staff members and associates in total, into one main support center to be located in Long Island City, Queens.
In addition, as New York’s only home-town airline, JetBlue Airways will begin joint branding of the famous ‘I Love NY’ logo with the State of New York.
“After an exhaustive study to determine the best location for our corporate offices, we have decided that remaining in our hometown of New York makes the most sense for our company,” says Dave Barger, JetBlue Airways’ chief executive officer. The city is an important part of our heritage and culture, our brand and our customer connection, as well as our operation, with our base at JFK’s Terminal 5.”
“JetBlue engaged cities around the country in a selection process to determine where to build a central corporate office and grow jobs over the long term. New York City prevailed, and both our city and the airline are better off for it,” says Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City. “There was a time when New York might have taken such an exercise lightly, relying on the city’s reputation to win out.
“But cities across the country and around the world are engaged in an increasingly competitive environment to attract growing companies, and ― while we can’t always compete on cost ― we’ve worked extremely hard to strengthen and highlight New York City’s competitive advantages,” adds Bloomberg. “The 200 jobs the company will move to and add in New York City and the new Long Island City headquarters it will build will be significant contributions to the local and citywide economies.”
JetBlue Airways' logo
After an extensive multi-year review of several cities around the country, JetBlue narrowed its focus on New York City and Orlando. In recent weeks rumors proliferated that JetBlue was likely to move to Orlando, where it already has two major facilities.
JetBlue Airways says its Darien, Connecticut support center will be combined with the current New York office some time in 2011. Some 70 jobs will be relocated to New York. The carrier’s Darien office has provided transactional financial support for the airline since 2000 and has been a key ingredient of the airline’s success in its first decade, according to JetBlue.
Orlando remains a significant city for its network and is the airline’s “home away from home” for more than 1,000 staff members, according to JetBlue. The airline’s facilities in Orlando include JetBlue University, the carrier’s training facility, as well as a support center. The airline is continuing to grow operations at Orlando International Airport, offering 23 nonstop destinations, including six international cities.
The airline’s new headquarters address will be 27-01 Queens Plaza North, Long Island City, New York, in the historic Brewster Building. Subject to execution of a lease with Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. (MetLife), JetBlue expects to occupy approximately 200,000 square feet in the Brewster Building by mid-2012. The Brewster Building, owned by Brause Realty, a New York City-based real estate company, is six miles down the road from JetBlue’s current support center location in Forest Hills and is situated at the foot of one of the main gateways to Manhattan ― the Queensborough Bridge.
The Brewster Building has a relevant aviation history. It was built in 1911 and is where the Brewster Aeronautical Company manufactured the Brewster F2A (also known as the Brewster Buffalo), the first monoplane fighter airplane used by the U.S. Navy in World War II. The building is recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council (as having achieved Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED EB) Silver certification, which designates operation of high-performance buildings that are environmentally responsible.
JetBlue will be subleasing the space from MetLife, which will continue to maintain a significant presence at the location, with approximately 800 associates based there.
Related to this story:
- JetBlue Begins Twice-Weekly New York JFK-La Romana Service
- JetBlue and TAM Agree to Interline at New York JFK and Orlando
- JetBlue Unveils A320 with ‘I Love New York’-Branded Livery
- JetBlue Plans New York JFK-Martha’s Vineyard Summer Service
- JetBlue Paints A320 Green in Honor of New York Jets NFL Team
