Queens, NY – JetBlue might decide to leave its New York corporate headquarters if the city does not give the airline a reason to stay.
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The discount airline wants incentives to remain in its Queens corporate headquarters after its lease expires in 2012.
The company is considering five potential corporate locations. The city has until Tuesday to deliver an offer to JetBlue.
“They are serious about leaving,” said U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y. “They want to be sure that the city of New York is really interested in keeping them here.”
Meeks said the best shot at keeping the airline in the city is to help finance the construction of a new JetBlue building near Kennedy Airport, where it opened its $743 million Terminal 5 in October.
City officials have refused to discuss specifics of the offer it plans to make to the airline.
“We have a proposal that we will be submitting to JetBlue and we remain deeply committed to helping them continue to grow and thrive in New York City,” said David Lombino, a spokesman for the city Economic Development Corp.
Alan Bender, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., said moving JetBlue’s headquarters would not be “earth-shattering” to the city’s economy.
“The vast majority of people (at JetBlue) are pilots and flight attendants,” he said. “Those people are still going to be in New York, because that’s where JetBlue has by far the most flights.”
i love jet blue
Thhe Ciy shoul dnot cave in. If Jetblue thinks they can be a serious entity with headquarters in the boondocks-let them ry. Too many companies have gotten great deals and reaped benefits but went bakrupt and did not provide the terms they agreed to.
By the way, as an airline Jetblue is great till things go wrong, then they are worse than legacy airlines. my flight to Florida was cancelled 48 hours before th seder, they offered a choice of flying two days later during the seder or a refund. They made no attempt to g me there in a timely way or use another carrier.
So we taxpayers have to pay?
The City will still make money on the airline cause of all the flights they have coming and going in JFK.
How about the City pays me to stay in the City? There won’t be an end to this.
JetBlue has already moved a large amount of its operations to Orlando, FL where it has corporate offices and a training facility.
I too will be leaving if I don’t have an offer by Tuesday.
Gotta stick with chicago based united with first clubs and airport lounges that is a real airline!!
send them packing….and dont forget to charge them $25 for each bag they take.
Hope they have enough leg room at their new place.
Well I don’t care the not that chaep anymore mabey if they move they will drop their price