What Is JetBlue Airways?
JetBlue Airways is a low-cost airline owned and managed by the JetBlue Airways Corporation. It has its home airport at the John F. Kennedy International Airport. Founded in 1998 by David Neeleman, it was formerly known as “NewAir” and was patterned roughly after Southwest Airlines. The biggest difference in the idea was to bring back more in-flight entertainment, in an effort to distinguish itself from the already-successful discount carrier.

Need A Taxi?
JetBlue Airways originally was to be called “Taxi”, but the idea was scrapped due to several reasons. First, there is the negative connotation attached to taxis, such as taxis being overpriced and operated by unscrupulous people. Second, the word “taxi” is in itself part of air traffic technology, which may could be the cause of potential confusion. Third, an important investor (JP Morgan) was very unhappy with the term and threatened to pull out his investment if the name was finalized. Combined, these three factors prevented the founders of Jetblue Airways from adopting the name.

Success And Failure: -
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the airline industry was floundering and in crisis. During this time, many airlines folded up, filed for bankruptcy, or reported large losses. JetBlue Airways, like its rival Southwest Airlines, was one of the few carriers which were able to report a profit in the few years after the terrorist attacks. This has contributed to its popularity in the stock market. Traded in the NASDAQ, it is currently capitalized at around two billion dollars.

Over the years, JetBlue Airways has made true on its promise to provide more in-flight entertainment than its rivals. In 2002 it acquired LiveTV to provide more channels and movies to its passengers.

JetBlue Airways hit a snag in 2005, when world oil prices shot above $60 a barrel. Because of the rising fuel costs, JetBlue Airways announced a decrease in its profit from $8.1 million to $2.7 million. Still, it was a remarkable statement to the company’s resiliency: Many oil-guzzling companies lost money and went bankrupt at this time as well.

Today, JetBlue Airways is a leader in the discount carrier industry. It continues to make record profits and is considered to be one of the stronger airlines in the country today.