Over 45 members of the Irish travel trade gathered together in the stunning Elle’s Bistro & Bar, at the Iveagh Garden Hotel, on Monday evening to celebrate JetBlue’s expansion into the Irish market.
Caitriona Toner (Senior Sales Manager) and Francis McCabe (Sales Support Coordinator) were joined by Maja Gedosev (Europe General Manager) and Matt Baker (Pricing Manager) from their UK office on the night, where Maja gave a brief presentation on JetBlue’s offerings, as the trade watched on eagerly.
Maja started off by thanking the Irish trade for their wonderful response to JetBlue’s move into the Irish market, before delving into the history of JetBlue and their offerings.
In 2000, David Neilman launched JetBlue with the ethos of bringing humanity back to the aviation industry, and that is evident in JetBlue’s product offerings. The direct Dublin to New York (JFK Terminal 5 – JetBlue’s terminal) and Boston routes are serviced by the Airbus A321 Neo and Maja explained that “It’s a smaller plane, more personal, and it does allow the cabin crew the time to actually engage and talk, with guests and deliver the service that customers expect to have, and we’re really proud of that. That is probably the number one USP for JetBlue.”
The Airbus A321 Neo offers 3 seating options, 102 seats in Core (economy), 14 suites in Mint (business), 2 Mint Studios, and 42 seats in Even More Space, which adds up to 5” more leg room than the already impressive 33” in Core.
While some people already familiar with JetBlue’s domestic US flights, may consider them to be a low-cost airline, Maja proudly remarked “we are not a low-cost airline, we are a low fare and high value airline.”
And this is evident in JetBlue’s inclusions such as free WiFi, live TV (with CNN, BBC and sports channels available, among others), wireless chargers in Mint, incredible food (vegetarian and vegan options are always available, regardless of whether your customers have ordered such a meal) and an always-open snack bar called The Pantry.
Alcoholic drinks are included on flights and the delicious Mint Condition cocktail, which guests at the event could try for themselves, is made using premium liquors such as Titos Handmade Vodka or Bombay Sapphire for gin-lovers.
Maja also reinforced JetBlue’s commitment to sustainability by mentioning that the narrow body aircraft that they fly is 33% more fuel efficient than other aircraft and they are using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), making JetBlue the biggest buyer of SAF currently, in aviation.
“We have pulled all our targets forward by 10 years, compared to the industry targets that are set by IATA. By 2030 we believe that we are actually going to achieve certain targets that are set for the industry to be achieved by 2040 or 2050.”
Maja concluded her presentation by reaffirming JetBlue’s commitment to service to both guests and agent partners. “We will definitely do our best to always deliver the best experience on the ground and in the air. And we will, of course, look after you as a partners. We’re always just a call away.”
The night ended with Marek Maslowiec (Oroko Travel) winning two return tickets to New York or Boston, and Caitriona reminded agents that they can still win a place on their St Patrick’s Day FAM trip to Boston by watching back ITTN’s live webinar with Caitriona and entering the competition, which you can do here: https://ittn.ie/ittn-and-jetblue/
It’s the little touches that set JetBlue apart from other transatlantic airlines and it is evident that the trade are excited to start selling this innovative airline.
Agent can access assets, FAQs and other resources on JetBlue’s dedicated agent hub: https://jetblue-uk.agentworld.com/
Watch back Shane’s interview with Maris Kuklis here: https://ittn.ie/travel-news/jet-blue-ittn-chats-to-nycs-hometown-airline/
