Jet Blue To Stay In LIC, Add Jobs Amid Terminal Expansion

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — After debating a move to Florida, JetBlue is planning to keep its headquarters in Long Island City and expand its flagship terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the airline announced on Tuesday.

After its current lease expires in 2023, the carrier plans to stay at the Brewster Building in Long Island City, and add more than 1,800 jobs to the city’s airports, according to a news release. The announcement comes as the city commits to building a $3.9 billion new Terminal 6 alongside JetBlue’s Terminal 5, which will expand the airline's footprint further into the airport.

“Queens is the future of New York City, and it is a brighter future with JetBlue remaining in the fold for years to come,” said Borough President Donovan Richards, who has been urging the airline to stay in Queens for the past several months and is “overjoyed” by their decision to do so.

The news that JetBlue, which dubs itself “New York’s Hometown Airline,” plans to stay in the Big Apple, comes after months of speculation that the carrier might relocate to Florida amid pandemic losses.

The airline’s CEO, Robin Hayes, said that people’s unwillingness to travel during the pandemic put JetBlue in the proverbial “emergency room” and cost the airline millions of dollars in losses.

Vacancy rates, a hybrid work environment, and financial losses prompted the airline to consider a move to Florida, according to an internal memo first reported by the New York Post.

But after a bid process between the two cities, JetBlue has decided to stay in New York, a choice that’s likely bolstered by the city’s commitment to the airline’s terminal expansion.

This is not the first time that JetBlue has decided to stay in New York after the state out-bid Florida in terms of its incentives — in 2010 the airline decided to stay in Queens, and move from its original location in Forest Hills to Long Island City, after the city promised millions in tax credits and energy savings.

Hayes, on his part, did not specify how JetBlue made the decision, other than to say the airline calls New York “home. We remain committed to helping bring this iconic city back from one of the greatest crises it has ever faced,” he said, alluding to the city’s pandemic recovery, and multi-million dollar effort to bring back tourism.

Governor Andrew Cuomo, similarly, said that the Terminal 6 project is a “distinct testament to New York's comeback and to our determination to build back better.”

The new terminal, which is being built with sustainability and technology in mind, will have room for ten new gates, in addition to thousands of square feet of dining, retail shops, lounges, and recreational space, according to a news release.

Terminal construction is slated to begin in the middle of next year, with the first new gates opening to passengers in 2025.