JetBlue has opened a new crew base at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, set to bring hundreds of jobs to the location, alongside the announcement of a new route.
The crew base, located in Terminal A of the airport, marks a first for JetBlue outside the continental U.S., and in celebration, the airline has launched new flight from the Puerto Rican capital to St Croix in the Virgin Islands. The flights will operate using an A320 once a day. The San Juan centre is expected to bring over 400 crewmember jobs to the island, with over 100 pilots and 300 inflight crewmembers to be assigned to the base by 2025.
“We are proud to celebrate this important milestone in Puerto Rico,” said Warren Christie, chief operating officer at JetBlue. “The new crew base reinforces our commitment to investing in the communities we serve, creating opportunities for crewmembers in San Juan and for those who want to return home to the island, while expanding our network to meet the growing demand for travel to the Caribbean and beyond.”
“Providing reliable and affordable travel options to customers is a key part of the development of the tourism sector and we are very excited to be part of this new phase of JetBlue’s history in Puerto Rico,” commented Carlos Mercado Santiago, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. “The opening of this crew base confirms the airline’s commitment to Puerto Rico, and enhances both the increase in frequency of flights to all the airports of the island, as well as new opportunities to continue expanding the network from domestic and international markets that benefit the local economy.”
Crew based at the San Juan centre will now be able to begin and end trips from the island, helping to support JetBlue’s operations in Puerto Rico. In 2020, the airline also opened a San Juan Tech Ops maintenance base and has been serving the island for over 22 years.
“We celebrate that JetBlue continues to bet on Puerto Rico. We are proud of this strategic alliance with Puerto Rico, reinforcing the airline’s commitment to the island and its people. Our tourism had record growth numbers over the past four years, and this is one more sign that good news continue for our people,” added Puerto Rico Governor Pedro R. Pierluisi.
Photo: Discover Puerto Rico
