JetBlue executives were in Savannah Friday meeting with representatives from the Savannah and Hilton Head chambers of commerce, Visit Savannah and the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport to discuss plans for the airline’s new service, which starts next month.
“We came into the Savannah/Hilton Head market with certain expectations of what we would consider success in the first few months,” said Ariana Pernice, JetBlue’s manager of retail marketing for New York.
“We are already surpassing those numbers by leaps and bounds. Not only are we surpassing them on the JFK and Boston side, we are surpassing them by leaps and bounds on the Savannah side,” Pernice said.
“We knew we would have demand on the Savannah/Hilton Head side, but the numbers we are seeing, the bookings we are getting, have surpassed anything we would have put on paper.”
The Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, with support from Visit Savannah and other business organizations, has been working for several years to get JetBlue service. The airline, it seems, was just as eager for the partnership to work.
“We’ve been hoping to bring on Savannah/Hilton Head for quite a while,” Pernice said. “What we’re able to do now, starting Feb. 13, is an answer to a lot of customer and partner demand. So it’s been really great to build this partnership and take advantage of this opportunity.”
If ticket sales and bookings continue to go well, JetBlue hopes to look at serving other markets in and out of Savannah.
“We’re starting out with what we think is a really healthy, robust schedule, which is New York and Boston, markets that offer connectivity to most of our other destinations,” Pernice said. “When we look at future opportunities, which we do on a fairly continuous basis, we look mostly at aircraft availability, route options and customer demand.
“So, if our relationship with Savannah/Hilton Head continues the way it has started, we definitely hope to be able to offer more options down the road.”
Pernice said the hospitality JetBlue’s leadership team has been afforded on every Savannah visit has been wonderful.
“We have felt nothing but support and enthusiasm,” she said.
“Our goal is not to be just an airline that serves Savannah and Hilton Head, but to become a part of the community.”
New hires will include a mix of mostly locals with some JetBlue transfers, the majority of whom specifically want to be in Savannah, Pernice said.
For example, JetBlue has an employee in New York who was born and raised in Savannah.
“When we announced internally that we were moving into the market, she was so excited she was running up and down the aisles. I think she was the first to put in for a transfer,” Pernice said, laughing.
Those unfamiliar with JetBlue are in for an unexpected treat, she said.
“We have what we think is a great product to offer, not only with our aircraft and its leather seats, seatback TVs, and Sirius/XM radio, but with exceptional customer service — from check-in to the gate, online and on the aircraft.”
In addition to the service, Joe Marinelli, president and CEO of Visit Savannah is excited about the new markets JetBlue will open up for visitors.
“From a tourism standpoint, the opportunity to tap into new markets, such as New York City and Boston, is wonderful for us,” he said, adding that the timing is perfect.
“Our tourism season really kicks off on Valentine’s Day and continues on through St. Patrick’s Day and the rest of the year,” Marinelli said. “Think about how exciting this is for the Savannah Music Festival, for the Tour of Homes and so many other events.”
Savannah has worked hard to grow its festival schedule, he said, including such popular events as the Book Festival, the Voice Festival and the Food and Wine Festival.
“The plan was always to get the product in place, then attract the airlines that will help bring the visitors into town,” he said.
“So we see this as another important step in an ongoing plan.”
It’s important, especially in a market where low-cost carriers have come and gone, that the flying public know commitment on JetBlue’s part is strong, Pernice said.
“We hope that, when we do start flying into Savannah/Hilton Head, our customers will see that we are here to stay, to continue to offer great prices and great value to the destinations they want,” she said.
JETBLUE’S SAVANNAH SERVICE
Note: Flights will operate daily, beginning Feb. 13
• JFK to SAV departs 7:10 a.m., arrives 9:38 a.m.
• Sav to JFK departs 10:20 a.m., arrives 12:18 p.m.
• JFK to SAV departs 12:59 p.m., arrives 3:13 p.m.
• SAV to JFK departs 4 p.m., arrives 6:02 p.m.
• BOS to SAV departs 11:10 a.m., arrives 1:46 p.m.
• SAV to BOS departs 2:25 p.m., arrives 4:43 p.m.
ON THE WEB
For more information about JetBlue, go to www.jetblue.com. For more information about the Savannah/Hilton Head International airport, go to www.savannahairport.com.