JetBlue Airways (Nasdaq: JBLU), New York`s low-fare airline, took home the Best Domestic Airline award again last night from the Conde Nast Traveler`s 2003 Readers` Choice Awards.
The prestigious travel award was presented by model Cindy Crawford to JetBlue CEO David Neeleman at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
This is the second consecutive year that the low-fare carrier, which is less than four years old, has earned the Best Domestic Airline title. Last year, JetBlue became the poll`s first new top airline since 1995 when Midwest Express began its run of seven consecutive wins.
JetBlue topped the poll with a score of 76.7,* almost 13 points ahead of Midwest`s score of 63.9 and more than 30 points above third place taker Alaska Airlines with a score of 46. JetBlue`s score of 76.7 also places it third in the poll`s scores for airlines worldwide, after Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific.
JetBlue was also named “Best Value for Cost” in Conde Nast Traveler`s 2003 Business Travel Awards published in October, 2003.
JetBlue`s CEO David Neeleman said, “Conde Nast Traveler readers are amongst the most discriminating travelers in the world and to be named Best US Airline this year again is twice as nice. We`ve always said our 5,000 plus crew members are world class and it`s great to know that Traveler readers agree.”
Tom Wallace, Conde Nast Traveler`s editor-in-chief, said: “The Conde Nast Traveler Readers` Choice Poll is the largest and most reliable measurement of consumer opinion about travel properties and services around the world. Winning first place in this poll is inarguably the highest accolade any travel company can receive. That JetBlue has done it in two years in a row, and after less than four years in operation, truly puts the airline in a class by itself.”
JetBlue is a low-fare, low-cost passenger airline, which provides high-quality customer service. JetBlue operates a fleet of 48 new Airbus A320 aircraft and is scheduled to place into service another five A320s by the end of 2003. The airline recently placed an order for 100 EMBRAER 190 aircraft with options for an additional 100. The first EMBRAER 190 is scheduled to be delivered in mid 2005. All JetBlue aircraft feature roomy all-leather seats each equipped with free live satellite television, offering up to 24 channels of DIRECTV(R) Programming at every seat.**
Based out of New York City`s John F. Kennedy International Airport, JetBlue currently operates 186 flights a day and serves 22 destinations in 11 states and Puerto Rico and plans to commence service from Boston, Massachusetts beginning January 7, 2004. With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all travel is ticketless, all fares are one-way, and a Saturday night stay is never required. For more information, schedules and fares, please visit www.jetblue.com or call JetBlue reservations at 1-800-JETBLUE (538-2583). This press release, as well as past press releases, can be found on www.jetblue.com.
* Every year since 1988, a random sampling of Conde Nast Traveler subscribers have received the “Poll of Consumer Attitudes.” The complete 2002 poll was divided into eight unique questionnaires; no single one contained the full complement of questions. Taken as a whole, the eight-part survey received 28,896 responses which were tabulated by Mediamark Research, Inc. Each candidate was rated, criteria by criteria, on a five-point scale: excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor. Final scores equal the percentage of excellent and very good marks: e.g., JetBlue`s 73.8 means that 73.8 percent of the respondents judged JetBlue as excellent or very good for all six Domestic Route Airlines criteria.
** DIRECTV(R) service is not available on flights between New York City and San Juan, Puerto Rico
This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature which represent our management`s beliefs and assumptions concerning future events. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions and are based on information currently available to us. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements due to many factors, including without limitation, potential hostilities in the Middle East or other regions, our ability to implement our growth strategy and our dependence on the New York market, our fixed obligations and our limited operating history, seasonal fluctuations in our operating results, increases in maintenance costs, fuel prices and interest rates, our competitive environment, our reliance on sole suppliers, government regulation, our failure to properly integrate LiveTV or enforce its patents, our ability to hire qualified personnel, the loss of key personnel and potential problems with our workforce including work stoppages, and continuing changes in the airline industry following the September 11th terrorist attacks and the increased risk of future attacks as well as potential risks with the delivery, placing into service and integration into our operations of the EMBRAER 190 aircraft. Additional information concerning these and other factors is contained in the Company`s Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to, the Company`s Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.

——-