JetBlue Debuts New Headquarters in Long Island City

JetBlue Airways opened its new corporate headquarters in Long Island City, Queens. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Senator Charles E. Schumer and other top government leaders joined JetBlue's president and CEO Dave Barger in cutting the ribbon on the airline's innovative new home, the latest addition to the vibrant Long Island City community.

The decision to keep its headquarters in New York City was announced in 2010, setting JetBlue on a journey to combine into one main corporate support center its former Forest Hills, Queens office where more than 900 crewmembers and business partners worked, with its Darien, Conn. office where approximately 70 crewmembers worked.  

JetBlue's crewmembers from Darien, who provide transactional financial support for the airline, now work alongside colleagues in Long Island City, bringing 70 jobs to the Empire State.

After an exhaustive multi-state study to determine the best location for its corporate offices, JetBlue decided that remaining in its hometown of New York made the most sense. The city is an important part of its heritage and culture, its brand and its customer connection, as well as its operation, with JetBlue's base at JFK's Terminal 5 and an expanding operation at LaGuardia Airport.

The decision has been celebrated by the unprecedented joint branding of Milton Glaser's world-recognized I LOVE NEW YORK logo, solidifying JetBlue's status as the official hometown airline of New York.

JetBlue now occupies approximately 200,000 square feet in the historic Brewster Building in Long Island City. The Brewster Building is owned by Brause Realty, a New York City-based real estate company. JetBlue is subleasing the space from MetLife, who will continue to maintain a presence at the location.

Construction of JetBlue's new corporate office was completed on time and on budget.  Construction was managed by Turner Interiors.  Other partners integral to the project included TLM Inc., Gleeds USA Inc. and Comsult Communication.

JetBlue's home base of operations is Terminal 5 at New York's JFK, a state-of-the art terminal that opened in October of 2008. T5 focuses on efficiency and customer comfort. The 635,000-square-foot terminal boasts 26 gates distributed throughout three concourses and includes a 55,000-square-foot central retail and concession Marketplace. T5 is designed to accommodate up to 20 million annual customers with up to 250 daily departures.