FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MARCH 25, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11
Schumer urges JetBlue to keep corporate headquarters in LIC
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e Senate majority leader
wants New York’s “hometown
airline” to stay in New York.
Senator Charles Schumer
placed a phone call to JetBlue
CEO Robin Hayes aft er hearing
the air carrier is considering
moving its corporate headquarters
from Long Island City
to Florida once its Queens lease
is up in 2023.
Schumer made his case to
Hayes to keep the 1,300-person
headquarters jobs in New York
City as well as the roughly 7,000
JetBlue employees who report to
work at various New York locations
including LaGuardia and
JFK airports.
“JetBlue has always said it best
since their start up in 1998, to
their fi rst fl ight from JFK in 2000
their home, heart and soul have
always remained in New York,”
Schumer said. “Th e purpose of
my call to Mr. Hayes was simply
to remind him that JetBlue’s
roots and its future is here in
New York. 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 confi dent JetBlue will
remain New York’s hometown
airline for a long time to come.”
Schumer added that the justpassed
$1.9 trillion American
Rescue Plan he helped lead
through the Senate included critically
needed help for pandemic
hit airlines and their countless
workers. Th e legislation delivered
$14 billion in direct aid to
the airline industry for payroll
extension programs that help
prevent mass layoff s, providing
some reprieve as the economy
and the industry fully recovers
from the COVID-19 economic
crisis.
Schumer made the call aft er
reading details of a corporate
memo to employees announcing
that JetBlue was considering
options for when its lease
runs out at its Queensboro Plaza
headquarters.
“We are exploring a number of
paths, including staying in Long
Island City, moving to another
space in New York City, and/
or shift ing a to-be-determined
number of headquarter roles
to existing support centers,” the
memo said. “We now have more
leasing options as greater vacancy
rates have changed the economics;
the role of the offi ce
and our space requirements will
evolve in a hybrid work environment;
and our own fi nancial
condition has been impacted by
COVID-19.”
Th e leaders of the Long Island
City Partnership and the Queens
Chamber of Commerce are hoping
JetBlue remains at its present
location.
“JetBlue is our homegrown
airline and an anchor of LIC
and NYC, providing great jobs
and deep community support,”
Long Island City Partnership
President Elizabeth Lusskin said.
“Th ey have always believed in
our city, and as their industry
recovers, JFK renovations and
the new LaGuardia are fi nished,
we hope that they will fi nd many
reasons to grow here, let alone
stay.”
She added that many of
JetBlue’s workers live in the area
and support local small businesses.
“Based on our diversity, our
on-ground transportation system,
and our educational footprint,
there’s no reason for
any business to leave Queens
County,” Queens Chamber of
Commerce President and CEO
Tom Grech said. “I look forward
to engaging JetBlue management
to see what they may
need to remain in Long Island
City.”
QNS reached out to JetBlue and
is awaiting a response.
QNS fi le photo
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer called JetBlue boss Robin Hayes in an eff ort to get the air carrier to remain headquartered
in New York when its Long Island City lease runs out in 2023.
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