JetBlue Airways, which has kept its corporate headquarters in New York City since its founding 23 years ago, is contemplating moving operations to Florida.
The odds-on favorite in the Sunshine State seems to be Orlando, according to multiple reports, where JetBlue already has a training center.
The airline said in a statement its current lease expires in July 2023 "and considering how our space requirements may evolve in a hybrid work environment post-pandemic."
JetBlue said it is exploring a number of options, including staying in its current headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, near John F. Kennedy International Airport; moving elsewhere in New York City; or shifting some New York-based jobs to existing JetBlue facilities in Florida. The airline has a training center in Orlando and a travel-products subsidiary in Fort Lauderdale.
A spokesperson for the airline said a decision is expected later this year. She said more than 1,300 employees work at the headquarters in Long Island City.
After learning the news, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes and urged him to reconsider leaving the city.
"The purpose of my call to Mr. Hayes was simply to remind him that JetBlue's roots and its future are here in New York," Schumer said in a statement. "With the critical pandemic relief dollars we just delivered on to help save airlines like JetBlue, and the thousands and thousands of New Yorkers they already employ, the airline should actually clear the runway to grow here, not recede. Bottom line, I am confident JetBlue will remain New York's hometown airline for a long time to come."
JetBlue is the nation's sixth-largest airline by passenger-carrying capacity. It recently entered into an agreement with American Airlines to expand its routes.
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