JetBlue and Cape Air to announce partnership
BY MARY LANCASTER
Today at noon officials with Cape Air and the Forest Hills, N.Y.- based carrier JetBlue are expected to unveil the details of what is anticipated to be a new marketing partnership between the two companies.

Although media spokesmen for the airlines would not reveal specifics of the plan prior to the press conference at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Jamaica, N.Y., both companies have previously expressed interest in some form of relationship to enhance the fact that they are adjacent to each other in Terminal C at Logan Airport in Boston. The alliance may also encourage discounted air service from Nantucket to New York.

In March 2006, Cape Air president Daniel A. Wolf and JetBlue chief executive officer David Neeleman were quoted in a Boston Globe article as favoring a reciprocal arrangement. At that time, there was a question as to whether Cape Air would have to move from its Logan gate because of JetBlue's growth with a May 2007 deadline listed as the latest date Cape Air could relocate.

In interviews for the story, Wolf said, "We like the location and we think our customers like being able to connect to JetBlue. We bring, potentially, a lot of valuable customers to JetBlue."

Neeleman was quoted as saying that having Cape Air remain in Terminal C to funnel travelers to JetBlue and connect passengers from JetBlue origins to the Cape and Islands "would probably be a pretty good option for Cape Air. It would make a lot of sense for us."

Marketing partnerships are not uncommon for JetBlue, which struck a deal last February with Irish carrier Aer Lingus. That was the first of what was expected to be several similar international partnerships JetBlue would form as part of a service expansion. That arrangement provided links between the two airlines' Web sites and special fare packages.

JetBlue's first flight was on Feb. 11, 2000 between JFK Airport in New York and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. As of February 2006 the company was running approximately 369 daily trips to 34 destinations in 15 states, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, and by November added flights to Aruba and nonstop service to Mexico. Also as of February 2006, JetBlue operated a fleet of 87 Airbus A320 craft and nine EMBRAER 190 planes.

JetBlue posted a $17 million profit in the last quarter of 2006. Last year's revenue rose 38.9 percent to $2.36 billion compared to a 35.2 percent increase in costs at $2.24 billion. Its

air traffic rate rose by 15.4 percent. I