When nothing is going right, sometimes it helps to put on a nice outfit and fake it till you make it.
That's more of a self-help tip than a business move, but in the face of high airfares, cuts to its summer schedule, and other issues facing the airline industry, JetBlue (JBLU) has decided to give its planes a makeover.
The company has a new standard livery, which is the pattern of how it paints its planes. And the move dramatically shakes up the carrier's signature look. It's a big change.
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The airline has used custom looks for some of its planes, but the new one will be the standard for the expanding airline. JetBlue outlined the reasoning behind the change in a news release.
[Our new livery features] a bold and all-blue design emblematic of its role as an innovative, industry-disrupting brand that customers love and trust for travel. From colorful tailfin patterns to special liveries, JetBlue has always used custom designs to honor the people, places and partnerships that make up its DNA. The new “icon in the sky” gives JetBlue a standout visual design as it expands to new markets and brings customer-centric offerings across the travel industry.
One of the airline's Airbus (EADSY) A321 planes, which went into service on June 15, is the first to enter the fleet with the new paint job. JetBlue will update all its planes with the new look as part of its regular repainting schedule.
The company laid out the features of its new look:
- A blue-all-over fuselage that goes all in on the company’s namesake color.
- Iconic tailfin patterns now energized and extended to embrace the body and belly of the aircraft.
- A larger JetBlue logo to represent the bold impact these aircraft have in the industry.
- Colorful winglets that add an extra pop of fun with a refreshed palette of accent colors.
- The aircraft’s pattern and the JetBlue logo featured on the belly, making it instantly recognizable to plane spotters.
The airline's new look -- the first time JetBlue has completely refreshed its paint scheme -- will also be used on the company's website and social media.
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Image source: JetBlue Airlines.
JetBlue Takes On Southwest in the Caribbean
Southwest Airlines (LUV) does not fly overseas, but it has been a major player in the Caribbean. The airline offers flights to Aruba, Grand Cayman, Cuba, Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos.
JetBlue also flies to those destinations as well as Haiti, St. Lucia, and St. Maarten. Now, the airline is adding two new Caribbean destinations and plans to expand service to and from the region from a number of airports.
The airline later this year will begin flying to Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw International Airport in St. Kitts and Nevis and Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport in Belize City, Belize from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport.
"JetBlue is also set to launch service between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS) in Nassau, Bahamas; Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and Maurice Bishop International Airport (GND) in Grenada; and Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) in North Carolina. Seats are out for sale today with fares as low as $59, $149, $159, and $179," the airline said in a news release.
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