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JetBlue Stays In NYC, Thanks To Some Sweet Tax Breaks
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 23, 2010
Modified Mar 23, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 23, 2010
Modified Mar 23, 2010
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Even though Orlando tried to tempt it away, JetBlue announced it would keep its headquarters in Queens yesterday. At a press conference with Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Paterson, JetBlue CEO Dave Barger said, "The city is an important part of our heritage and culture, our brand and our customer connection, as well as our operation, with our base at JFK’s Terminal 5. As we enter our second decade, we are proud to be New York’s Hometown Airline.”
JetBlue will keep 880 corporate jobs, plus transfer 70 jobs from its Darien, CT offices, in Queens—it'll move from Forest Hills to Long Island City— and believes it will add 130 jobs in the future. Of course, the tax breaks and subsidies help: According to the Daily News, "The city offered $23.5 million worth of tax credits and savings, while the state ponied up $6 million. Con Edison agreed to discount its power by $1 million." Mayor Bloomberg said, "We do think we'll get our money back reasonably quickly. If the business wasn't here, you wouldn't get anything."
The state also hopes to benefit by JetBlue promoting tourism to New York. JetBlue may also put the "I Love NY" logo on the side of its planes.
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jetblue
jfk airport
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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