Discount Airliner Jet Blue Flies to Aruba … Hardly the Big Spenders Aruba Was Looking For

The first Jet Blue plane flew from New York to Aruba yesterday to the festive reception of water cannons. Lets just hope the passengers on board were told what was going on and did not think their plane was on fire.

We hardly think that the 156 leather JetBlue seats are going to make up for the KLM reducing the size and frequency of airplanes traveling to Aruba. All this will attract is a bargain basement price for those who wish to put price over principle.

Let’s remember what the AHATA and government stated that their goal was for Aruabn tourism … “Not only does the AVP want to reverse the trend, but wants to work with a new plan for tourism towards a restructuring from quantity to quality.” Exactly how does contracting with a discount airline get one quality? All it would appear to do is get those that would already go to Aruba there for a cheaper fare. Tourism based on price alone does not increase tourism, it shifts it from one pocket to another.

The addition of Jet Blue is not going to fix the “Monkey Wrench” in the Aruban tourism.

Amigoe; Sept. 18, 2006 First flight of JetBlue landed in Aruba 

The first airplane of JetBlue was welcomed yesterday with a festive fountain from two sprayer engines of the fire department of the airport.

ARUBA – The first aircraft of the American low cost airline company JetBlue landed in Aruba on Friday afternoon.  The Airbus 320 arrived with passengers from New York’s JFK airport. 

On the apron, they were ceremoniously received by two sprayer engines of the airport’s fire department.  Minister Edison Briesen (MEP) of Tourism and Transport, together with Rob Maruster, vice-president Airport Operations of JetBlue cut the tape at the gate right before the passengers got off the airplane. 

Representatives of the airport, Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA) and Aruba Hotel And Tourism Association (Ahata) greeted the passengers with a warm ‘bon bini’, when they were getting off the airplane.   

There was a reception in the VIP-room of the airport afterwards and they toasted with blue-coloured champaign on a good collaboration between Aruba and JetBlue.  The airline company makes daily flights between New York and Aruba and maintains much lower tariffs than other companies.  The aircraft has 156 leather seats. 

Each passenger has his/her own TV-screen that gives the possibility to choose from a great deal of programs.  One passenger that had just arrived with JetBlue was very enthusiastic about the service on board.  “On my television screen I could read that I can ask for another drink and that they will be pleased to bring it to me.  That’s not the case with other airline companies.  Maruster joked that JetBlue can fly this cheap to Aruba, because upon arrival, the airplane gets washed free of charge.