JBU to start KSMF-KIAD service

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[ Apparently, SMF is becoming a major market, contrary to
popular belief... -Ed. ]

http://www.sacbee.com/content/busine...-9409101c.html

JetBlue adds D.C. nonstop
The daily red-eye service to the nation's capital is hailed as a sign
of a strong local market
By Clint Swett -- Bee Staff Writer - (Published March 11, 2004)

Just a week after it launched nonstop service between Sacramento and
New York, JetBlue Airways on Wednesday said it will add another nonstop
to the East Coast, this one to Washington, D.C.

The daily flight to Dulles International, beginning May 4, will be the
first nonstop between Sacramento and the nation's capital since United
Airlines pulled the plug on nonstop service in October 2001.

Like the flight to New York, the new JetBlue service will be a red-eye,
leaving Sacramento at 12:35 a.m., and arriving at Dulles at 8:35 a.m.
The return will depart Dulles at 9:05 p.m., arriving in Sacramento at
11:40 p.m.

Rep. Doug Ose, the Republican who represents the Sacramento area's 3rd
District, is thrilled by all the hours the new service could save him
in his commute between the two capitals.

If his duties in Congress keep him past 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays - the
day he usually returns to the district - Ose said he has to catch a
red-eye to San Francisco and then either rent a car or have someone
pick him up for the ride back to the Sacramento area.

"This kind of service would be a boost to me," Ose said. "I've always
thought there was significant business between the nation's capital and
the capital of the fifth-largest economy in the world."

JetBlue, known for its low fares, roomy leather seats and satellite
television for every passenger, has an introductory one-way fare of $99
on the new route. Otherwise, prices will run between $134 and $294 each
way.

In addition to cutting travel time to the East Coast by about two
hours, the nonstops by JetBlue, plus another seasonal nonstop
Continental Airlines flight between Sacramento and Newark, N.J., signal
that Sacramento is being taken more seriously as an important market.

Indeed, the airport has landed seven new carriers since the Sept. 11,
2001, terrorist attacks prompted airlines to curtail service at many of
the nation's largest airports.

"The demographics of the region show that we're not just a government
town," said Hardy Acree, executive director of Sacramento County
Airports System. "We have major businesses whose executives need to
travel. And, we're always recruiting new corporations to move into this
market."

Acree said that airlines are attracted by the rapid population growth
in the Central Valley as well as the low cost of operating out of
Sacramento - about $5.22 per passenger at Sacramento International
versus $15 to $20 at Bay Area airports.

JetBlue was spurred to add the additional flight to Sacramento in part
because of the strong bookings its service to New York has posted since
it was announced in January.

"If we weren't doing well, we wouldn't have added the second flight,"
said David Neeleman, JetBlue founder and chief executive officer, in
Sacramento Wednesday to announce the new service. "We looked at the
advance bookings for April and May and were encouraged by what we were
seeing."

In addition, JetBlue added the route because it had a plane available
in Washington, D.C., and would rather have it flying and generating
revenue instead of sitting on the ground overnight, Neeleman said.

"The plane was available and Sacramento was at the top of our list," he
said.

Despite the fact that it's an overnight flight, the service could prove
popular for government and business officials.

One veteran of JetBlue's red-eye flight is Mindy Tucker Fletcher, an
executive in the Sacramento office of Oglivy Public Relations
Worldwide.

"I'm a big JetBlue fan," she said, noting the airline's com-fortable
seating and television. "I flew it from Dulles to Long Beach quite a
bit."

She said that flying overnight saves a day of travel, making it a more
efficient way of get to the East Coast.

"People learn that a red-eye is such a time-saver, and if you are going
to fly a red-eye, JetBlue is the one to do it on," she said.

Having nonstop service between Sacramento and the nation's capital
could be a recruiting tool in helping lure new business to the region,
said Barbara Hayes, executive director of the Sacramento Area Commerce
and Trade Organization.

"People always ask about our air services to Washington, D.C.," she
said. "Nonstop flights to major metro areas are always on the list of
things people ask about."

One of the most profitable carriers, New York-based JetBlue also
announced it is expanding elsewhere in Northern California. The company
said it will inaugurate service between San Jose and New York on June
10, and will add two daily flights between Oakland and Boston beginning
May 4.

BL.
- --
Brad Littlejohn | Email:
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