JetBlue TrueBlue - AA to take on JetBlue in New York

Roger Frizzell, American's director of corporate communications, said the airline is planning a huge outdoor advertising campaign in New York City to counter JetBlue Airways, which is headquartered there.

"We're going to flood New York," Frizzell said, promising billboards and ads on taxis. "We're going to let them know we're the hometown airline for New Yorkers."

The brainstorming session was the latest event in American's ongoing drive to include employees in developing its strategy. Last year, a similar meeting resulted in 37 initiatives to improve customer service, Garton said.

American is New York's Hometown Airline??

Hmm..thats weird, I don't see alot of flights on AA out of any of the 3 NYC area airports. Did EWR, LGA, or JFK become a new hub for AA in the middle of the night or something?

AA will need more than advertising to get me off of JetBlue.

Roger Frizzell, American's director of corporate communications, said the airline is planning a huge outdoor advertising campaign in New York City to counter JetBlue Airways, which is headquartered there.

"We're going to flood New York," Frizzell said, promising billboards and ads on taxis. "We're going to let them know we're the hometown airline for New Yorkers."

The brainstorming session was the latest event in American's ongoing drive to include employees in developing its strategy. Last year, a similar meeting resulted in 37 initiatives to improve customer service, Garton said.

LMAO!!! :D American "the hometown airline" for New Yorkers? ROFL... Ok, I'm not a New Yorker but I do fly from CA to the NYC area alot, if you asked me, their anything but New York's hometown airline, I mean, anyone been to the American Airline terminal at JFK? It seems like they abandoned their expansion idea during construction. I like American and all, and I still fly them to places that jetBlue don't fly to and still an active member of their AAdvantage program, but I just sometime think they don't know what their doing. For starter, it seems like their trying to make it into a no-frill airline.

LMAO!!! :D American "the hometown airline" for New Yorkers? ROFL... Ok, I'm not a New Yorker but I do fly from CA to the NYC area alot, if you asked me, their anything but New York's hometown airline, I mean, anyone been to the American Airline terminal at JFK? It seems like they abandoned their expansion idea during construction. I like American and all, and I still fly them to places that jetBlue don't fly to and still an active member of their AAdvantage program, but I just sometime think they don't know what their doing. For starter, it seems like their trying to make it into a no-frill airline.

Their terminal is a mess. They fly a lot from JFK to the Caribbean and their hubs, but that is about it. (With some other direct flights mixed in) Isn't a little bit too late to try and take out Jetblue with advertising. Unless they lower fares, people are not going to fly them again because of a billboard saying "we know why you fly".

Unless they lower fares, people are not going to fly them again because of a billboard saying "we know why you fly".
American Airlines announces new low fares from JFK, including transcon JFK-LAX roundtrip from $200 in May. And register at AA.com and get double AAdvantage miles on any purchased JFK-LAX nonstop flight.
(What a coincidence...Delta announces new Song nonstop service to begin in May, between JFK and LAX, with $99 each way fares and double Skymiles with registration at FlySong.com)

I like AA, but even I have to admit that this is a joke. AA has eliminated some nonstop JFK routes(PHX, LGB), and their prices don't match B6.

Don't get me started on their JFK terminal(T8,T9). That place is just a disgrace. AA should be embarassed.

I like AA, but even I have to admit that this is a joke. AA has eliminated some nonstop JFK routes(PHX, LGB), and their prices don't match B6.

Don't get me started on their JFK terminal(T8,T9). That place is just a disgrace. AA should be embarassed.

T8 and T9 is New York's Hometown Ghetto Terminals hehe, theres subway trains in NYC thats in better shape than the terminal.

I am curious. I fly in to JFK T8 and T9 a couple times a month, but I am seriously thinking about taking the non-stop BUR-JFK flights when they start. What is T6 like (that is where B6 is located, right?)

I am curious. I fly in to JFK T8 and T9 a couple times a month, but I am seriously thinking about taking the non-stop BUR-JFK flights when they start. What is T6 like (that is where B6 is located, right?)

It used to be just as bad as Terminal 8. They are refurbishing it, so it is much nicer. It is also a very small terminal. (Their new terminal is going to be massive. Are they going to dump T6 when they build the new terminal?) But the best is the speed. I have gone through ticketing and security there at Christmas in 15 mins.

Their terminal is a mess. They fly a lot from JFK to the Caribbean and their hubs, but that is about it. (With some other direct flights mixed in) Isn't a little bit too late to try and take out Jetblue with advertising. Unless they lower fares, people are not going to fly them again because of a billboard saying "we know why you fly".

AA actually uses JFK more as an international hub than for domestic operations with the exceptions of the transcons. They fly to NRT, FCO, LHR, GRU, EZE, CDG, ZRH, BRU, and MAN to name a few as well as many of the Caribbean destinations. Most of their domestic ops are out of New York are from LGA.

The new terminal is scheduled to be complete in 2007.

AA actually uses JFK more as an international hub than for domestic operations with the exceptions of the transcons. They fly to NRT, FCO, LHR, GRU, EZE, CDG, ZRH, BRU, and MAN to name a few as well as many of the Caribbean destinations. Most of their domestic ops are out of New York are from LGA.

The new terminal is scheduled to be complete in 2007.

JFK-MAN is operated by BA under an AA codeshare. And Phase One of the AA megaterminal--the midfield concourse--actually opens next month.

The fact that AA is even acknlowedging Jetblue is a testament as to how far along Jetblue really is--all the double miles promos in the world still didnt help AA lose the JFK-LGB battle--people dont want to pay $500 each way on short notice and sit in crap seats w/ no IFE. With no more MRTC, what good is AA? How can they differentiate themselves? Yes they are the world's biggest airline and have an extensive worldwide route network? But isnt this an apples to oranges comparision with Jetblue?

IMHO its a waste of AA ad dollars....

The fact that AA is even acknlowedging Jetblue is a testament as to how far along Jetblue really is--all the double miles promos in the world still didnt help AA lose the JFK-LGB battle--people dont want to pay $500 each way on short notice and sit in crap seats w/ no IFE. With no more MRTC, what good is AA? How can they differentiate themselves? Yes they are the world's biggest airline and have an extensive worldwide route network? But isnt this an apples to oranges comparision with Jetblue?

IMHO its a waste of AA ad dollars....

AA offers F and J class on JFK-LAX and JFK-SFO with personal DVD players in those classes.

AA offers F and J class on JFK-LAX and JFK-SFO with personal DVD players in those classes.


ok and what's that cost roundtrip? Isnt that apples to oranges? Jetblue is an all coach product....Soley on coach to coach comparision, other than earning FF miles, is there something better about AA? Its unlikely....my point being that AA has a loyal following who love their AAdvantage program...Im just not too sure they love the AA in flight experience and AA product....

ok and what's that cost roundtrip? Isnt that apples to oranges? Jetblue is an all coach product....Soley on coach to coach comparision, other than earning FF miles, is there something better about AA? Its unlikely....my point being that AA has a loyal following who love their AAdvantage program...Im just not too sure they love the AA in flight experience and AA product....

With all the e-upgrades I have accumulated in my AAcount it would cost me nothing to updgrade from Y to J as long as it was available within 72 hours of my flight. I've at 100% on transcon upgrades thus far. Once you get to EXP level upgrades are free in many classes of service.

ok and what's that cost roundtrip? Isnt that apples to oranges? Jetblue is an all coach product....Soley on coach to coach comparision, other than earning FF miles, is there something better about AA? Its unlikely....my point being that AA has a loyal following who love their AAdvantage program...Im just not too sure they love the AA in flight experience and AA product....

Personally, I can't stand the American's in flight service. In my experience, they have cared less about the passenger and more about the end of the flight.

The fact that AA is even acknlowedging Jetblue is a testament as to how far along Jetblue really is--all the double miles promos in the world still didnt help AA lose the JFK-LGB battle--people dont want to pay $500 each way on short notice and sit in crap seats w/ no IFE. With no more MRTC, what good is AA? How can they differentiate themselves? Yes they are the world's biggest airline and have an extensive worldwide route network? But isnt this an apples to oranges comparision with Jetblue?

IMHO its a waste of AA ad dollars....

You call LGB a loss for AA; AA says it was able to attract all of its former LGB pax to its 11 daily 767s at LAX when it stopped flying to an airport people really don't prefer (LGB) and focused on the airport to which its customers really want to fly (LAX). With HP's realization that competing with AA and UA on this route was a waste of money, AA is again seeing better yields on its transcons.

B6 will do well at LGB with the same type of customers who previously flew Tower Air's transcons - the occasional transcon flyer who rarely leaves the country and has no use for a frequent flyer program that can get them into J or F.

Frequent flyers who also fly to Europe, Asia and S America will continue to fly AA between LAX and JFK. No matter how many daily flights B6 offers from LGB, ONT or BUR. :)

B6 will do well at LGB with the same type of customers who previously flew Tower Air's transcons - the occasional transcon flyer who rarely leaves the country and has no use for a frequent flyer program that can get them into J or F.


Well I think you don't know who actually fly jetBlue. Yes, there are some customers like that, but not all. I, myself, used to fly American alot. However, now I just fly them to on routes jetBlue dont serve. How I see it is that I don't need to really build up more miles in my AAdvantage account as I have more than enough miles to go anywhere I want in F on any OneWorld carrier or AAdvantage partner airlines and I don't really like American's F product anyways. I pick jetBlue because of the service, the snacks (which I much perfer over AA's domestic first class meal), and the comfort. I remember a couple of months ago, I flew AA from SMF to DFW and I overheard all the F passenger complaning about F in the baggage claim, just to show that F isn't really worth it even if it was a free upgrade. I'm sure there are also the equal number of jetBlue passengers that fly jetBlue for the same reasons as why I fly them. Basically, you can't sterotype jetBlue passengers because they draw EVERYONE into them, not just a certain type of flyer. (Plus if I really need miles for AAdvantage, theres plenty of other ways to earn it, much faster and cheaper than flying like getting stickers off of soda cups in movie theaters for 100 miles for every sticker u get last summer and theres always crazy promo, you can probally earn enough miles on Ameircan without actually flying Ameircan for a roundtrip ticket)

You call LGB a loss for AA; AA says it was able to attract all of its former LGB pax to its 11 daily 767s at LAX when it stopped flying to an airport people really don't prefer (LGB) and focused on the airport to which its customers really want to fly (LAX). With HP's realization that competing with AA and UA on this route was a waste of money, AA is again seeing better yields on its transcons.

B6 will do well at LGB with the same type of customers who previously flew Tower Air's transcons - the occasional transcon flyer who rarely leaves the country and has no use for a frequent flyer program that can get them into J or F.

Frequent flyers who also fly to Europe, Asia and S America will continue to fly AA between LAX and JFK. No matter how many daily flights B6 offers from LGB, ONT or BUR. :)

I too disagree with the assumption that B6 only draws previous Tower Air customers. This shows how little is understood about the Jetblue and AirTran phenomenon even by frequent flyers. Just like SkaterJasp I too am primarily a business traveller though I do travel extensively for leisure. I have lifetime PLAT status on AA and unlimited domestic upgrades. I still find myself travelling on B6 for several reasons - schedule convenience, pricing, IFE, etc. I do have 100% upgrade success in the past few qtrs on SFO-JFK and SJC-JFK but it is not always sufficient enough to win me over the need to get home on time or the price (at times AA is $500 RT last minute while B6 is still $200 to $250).

Most infrequent travellers I know now prefer JBLU coach hands down over AA coach (especially after LRTC and food cuts).

I too disagree with the assumption that B6 only draws previous Tower Air customers. This shows how little is understood about the Jetblue and AirTran phenomenon even by frequent flyers. Just like SkaterJasp I too am primarily a business traveller though I do travel extensively for leisure. I have lifetime PLAT status on AA and unlimited domestic upgrades. I still find myself travelling on B6 for several reasons - schedule convenience, pricing, IFE, etc. I do have 100% upgrade success in the past few qtrs on SFO-JFK and SJC-JFK but it is not always sufficient enough to win me over the need to get home on time or the price (at times AA is $500 RT last minute while B6 is still $200 to $250).

Most infrequent travellers I know now prefer JBLU coach hands down over AA coach (especially after LRTC and food cuts).



Everyone is hitting the nail on the head here. I think the problem (or solution maybe?) is that there are still this faction of people who only fly the majors like UA or AA exclusively still and think that Jetblue is for less-savvy travelers or people who fly 1-2 a year to visit family ect and just fly Jetblue due to the price, etc or the TV's. the fact of the matter is I work for a company with over $700M in revenue and have execs who fly jetblue do to their schedule on certain routes, the amount of non-stops they offer from JFK and most impirtantly the service and comfort they can fly and the IFE.

there is no comparision between Jetblue coach and coach on any major airline. Maybe UA's E+ is on par. This stigma is way off par, as there are lots of people who go out their fly to fly Jetblue and also elites of other airline programs who fly Jetblue now more often. Its fine by me if people choose to ignore this but flying a route like JFK-LAS or JFK-LGB or OAK and talking to people, you see how many biz travelers are really out there and have told the majors to shove it.

I'm a Platinum on AA and a Platinum Elite on CO but JetBlue wins hands down.

AA says it was able to attract all of its former LGB pax to its 11 daily 767s at LAX

JFK-LAX is now 12X daily (give-or-take a few frequencies) on the 762.

No matter how many daily flights B6 offers from LGB, ONT or BUR.

It remains to be seen whether JFK-BUR will even be viable. The flights will be quite weight-restricted.

It remains to be seen whether JFK-BUR will even be viable. The flights will be quite weight-restricted.

According to Jetblue's people, this shouldn't be a problem. I know it is a shorter runway, but we will have to wait to find out.

According to Jetblue's people, this shouldn't be a problem. I know it is a shorter runway, but we will have to wait to find out.

I think he's referring to B6's infamous fuel stops during east-to-west non-stops.

I think he's referring to B6's infamous fuel stops during east-to-west non-stops.

I know what he is talking about. I have heard that the fuel won't be a problem on the flgihts.

If they can make LGB work, than they can make basically any airport work. hehe. (In terms of drawing enough customers to make the route work)

Personally, I fly AA soley on transcons becuase I can get upgraded nearly everytime and they fly into LAX which is very convient for me. I also noramally take that 3-4pm flight back to the East Coast and like to sleep a bit so getting upgraded makes my life a whiole lot easier.

JetBlue is an incredible airline and if it were not for the upgrades I would fly them as often as possible. I do fly them down to FLL often which is perfect. They are unquestionably the best for short / mid-range flights. However, that being said I am a tall guy (well over 6'2) and flying on a JetBlue plane for 5+ hours transcon is a bit much for me. Eventhough they have better entertainment etc. Last long flight I took with JetBlue was a JFK-LAS roundtrip (which is an experience that i laugh about this day - full of charecters). I sometimes wish someone would make a sort of JetBlue + airline that caters to customers who are willing to pay a bit more for more room and better service. The major airlines have alot of work to do on that segment. United's PS is a good start but who wants to fly on a 757 for 6 hours.

My two sense.

Personally, I fly AA soley on transcons becuase I can get upgraded nearly everytime and they fly into LAX which is very convient for me. I also noramally take that 3-4pm flight back to the East Coast and like to sleep a bit so getting upgraded makes my life a whiole lot easier.

JetBlue is an incredible airline and if it were not for the upgrades I would fly them as often as possible. I do fly them down to FLL often which is perfect. They are unquestionably the best for short / mid-range flights. However, that being said I am a tall guy (well over 6'2) and flying on a JetBlue plane for 5+ hours transcon is a bit much for me. Eventhough they have better entertainment etc. Last long flight I took with JetBlue was a JFK-LAS roundtrip (which is an experience that i laugh about this day - full of charecters). I sometimes wish someone would make a sort of JetBlue + airline that caters to customers who are willing to pay a bit more for more room and better service. The major airlines have alot of work to do on that segment. United's PS is a good start but who wants to fly on a 757 for 6 hours.

My two sense.

The problem with that is that it would become a frills airline. That is what drove Debonair into the ground. They started off correctly, but tried to cater to the business man later. This rose their costs, which made it impossible for them to make a profit.

P.S. Primaris Airlines is coming out with an all business class airline that flies to almost all major cities in the US and abroad. I am not sure when they are supposed to start. This may go against the P.S. service for United.

United's PS is a good start but who wants to fly on a 757 for 6 hours.

Why would aircraft type matter? Besides a 757 is bigger than an A320 - i wouldn't want to fly on an A320 for 6 hours. And the seats are better with an F and C class and no E- in the p.s. service.

I enjoyed reading this thread with all the debate about the marketing. Fact is, for a savvy flier, earning 5-6k miles in a far superior program like AA (or UA's Mileage Plus for that matter) is well worth it over a joke program like JetBlue. Who cares about the marketing campaign when real $$ is at stake?

DirecTV is nice. Premium cabin (or even free coach) travel to Europe and Asia is much better. ^

Why would aircraft type matter? Besides a 757 is bigger than an A320 - i wouldn't want to fly on an A320 for 6 hours. And the seats are better with an F and C class and no E- in the p.s. service.

I enjoyed reading this thread with all the debate about the marketing. Fact is, for a savvy flier, earning 5-6k miles in a far superior program like AA (or UA's Mileage Plus for that matter) is well worth it over a joke program like JetBlue. Who cares about the marketing campaign when real $$ is at stake?

DirecTV is nice. Premium cabin (or even free coach) travel to Europe and Asia is much better. ^

That a good point, my point was that for someone traveling on business less than 7-8 times a year and when your company requires the lowest price COACH ticket, Jetblue could and should be the choice in this regard. They lose this traveler due to the fact their FF program is weak.

As far as Europe goes, who knows--an alliance with Jetblue and another carrier could solve that but its year's away.

I think he's referring to B6's infamous fuel stops during east-to-west non-stops.

east-west is no more of an issue at bur than anywhere else on the west coast. shorter runways affect take-off waits and, therefore, west-east.

east-west is no more of an issue at bur than anywhere else on the west coast. shorter runways affect take-off waits and, therefore, west-east.

The east-west issue is headwinds: during winter there are very strong west-to-east headwinds that may force the A320 to land to refuel on some B6 transcons. This obviously only affects westbound flights.

AA wants NYC? Hmmm, the Wall Street Journal has an article about how AA and other big airlines, are getting rid of larger planes in favor of the small commuter jets while Jetblue is expanding their number of seats on the larger aircraft and of course their aircraft has satellite TV.

AA can dream on....

Isn't JetBlue buying hundreds of spanking new RJs themselves or have that in their plans?

Isn't JetBlue buying hundreds of spanking new RJs themselves or have that in their plans?

Jetblue is buying 100 firm orders of the 190, with 100 options. These planes are 100 seaters, so they are double the size of the RJ. While they receive the new Embrarers, they will still be getting new 320's.

P.S THE 190'S ARE NOT REGIONAL JETS. IS A 717, A318, OR DC9 A REGIONAL JET. NOOOOOO.