JetBlue Takes Off In Worcester

PHOTO/MICHAEL NOVINSON The inaugural JetBlue flight into Worcester is greeted by an arc of water after touching down at Worcester Regional Airport Thursday afternoon.

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JetBlue took to the skies in Worcester Thursday, marking the return of commercial passenger air service to New England’s second largest city for the first time since early 2012.

Dozens of people crowded around the windows inside the terminal building at Worcester Regional Airport to watch flight 1888 from Orlando touch down at 1:49 p.m. The plane traveled under an arc of water shot from two firetrucks while taxiing to the gate, and customers on the first arriving flight were greeted by a tunnel of JetBlue agents and Finz, the Worcester Sharks mascot, applauding.

David and Cheryl Hey lived in Worcester until 2000, and they were returning with their sons, both 3, from Tampa to their old stomping grounds for a wedding this weekend. The new daily flights to Worcester made getting to the wedding much less of a hassle, the couple said.

“We always wanted to come directly here,” David Hey said.

JetBlue expects their once-a-day flights to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale to attract people from Central Massachusetts, as well as regions north and northwest of the city.

The New York-based airline already flies into Boston, Providence and Hartford, but believes it can reach new customers by offering services to this region.
“Worcester seemed like a natural next step,” said Marty St. George, JetBlue’s senior vice president of marketing, adding that the airline wants to strengthen its foothold in New England.

JetBlue officials said they will avoid the fate of its predecessors such as Direct Air and Allegiant Air, which tried and failed to make it in Worcester. The airline is banking on its greater name recognition as well as marketing and infrastructure investments, said Joanna Geragthy, the airline’s chief people officer.

JetBlue also hopes a landing systems upgrade in the coming years will help prevent the weather and fog delays that plagued previous airlines.

Sales have been going well thus far, St. George said, but the true test will come in May, when the airline will not be able to rely on snowbirds or tourists looking to escape the cold Massachusetts winters.

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