Le 30 June in the morning, theAirbus A321LR from JetBlue landed on the tarmac at CDG for the first time. Paris becomes the second stage in the New York-based company's transatlantic offensive after London. And while we wait for Amsterdam. JetBlue intends to offer a unique positioningWe're looking forward to working with you, and changing the face of the French market, including the business travel segment. Interview with Jayne O'BrienHead of Marketing, Products and Loyalty Programme JetBlue.
How do you feel about launching this first flight between New York and Paris? And what are the next steps?
Jayne O'Brien - We're very excited to be launching this daily flight between New York JFK and Paris-CDGwith excellent service at low fares. Next year we will also be launching a direct flight between Boston and Paris CDG. This is an important part of our growing expansion into Europe. We have a global growth strategy for the United States, the Caribbean, South America and Europe. In August, we will also be launching a direct flight between JFK and Amsterdam. This means that we will have daily flights from Heathrow and Gatwick à London, Paris and Amsterdam. So it really is a European expansion strategy. And I think that's why we're so enthusiastic about it.
How do you expect to be received on the European market?
Jayne O'Brien - JetBlue's proposition is not as well established in Europe as it is in the United States. I'm talking about our business model, which is based on a rewarding product at a low price for the customer. We were created with the the belief that customers should not have to choose between quality and price.
What does your product look like on board, in terms of cabins?
Jayne O'Brien - Our business cabinwhich we call MintThe first row is made up entirely of suites, private suites with their own door and flat beds. And on the first row, we have integrated what we call the Studios. They guarantee 30 % of additional space. As for the CoreIn the US domestic market, we are known as the airline with the most legroom in economy class, even compared with traditional carriers. The space between seats is 81 centimetres. We also offer live television on transatlantic flights, which is relatively unique, as well as thefree Wi-Fi access via our Fly-Fi offer, accessible from all types of device.
Why not call your travel classes 'business' and 'economy'?
Jayne O'Brien - It's part of our drive to 'disrupt' the market. You know, we want JetBlue to be for everyone, and not to compromise between quality and price. "Economy' would suggest something we're not. It's a good product at a great price. We're not like the others, we want to be a disrupter, not a follower.
You want to reconcile low rates with a high quality of service. But you need to be profitable, don't you?
Jayne O'Brien - That's what we do. That's our model: an excellent product, low prices, and we focus on what matters most to the customer. That's where we invest, in what we know drives satisfaction and therefore choice. As an airline, we also ensure that our working methods are as efficient as possible in order to keep our cost base low and to be able to offer low fares. This is part of our business model.
This low-cost policy could earn you the label of low-cost airline...
Jayne O'Brien - That's true, and that's why we need to educating the market. Our strong point is value. We don't see ourselves as a low-cost airline, even though our fares are lower than those of traditional airlines. When we launched the route to London 18 months ago, fares dropped from 30 to 50 % in business class, because everyone reacted to JetBlue. This is what we call "the JetBlue effect. What enables us to keep our prices low while offering a good product is our efficiency. We must be able tobe more efficient than all the others in the way we deliver our products and services. And we offer what customers want.
The Airbus A321 LR and its cabins should also support this strategy...
Jayne O'Brien - Yes, because theA321 LR is a more fuel-efficient aircraft and it allows us to offer a 'boutique' type experience. We've put a lot of thought into the wholeon-board experienceThe design, the lighting, the atmosphere, the details. Everything has been designed so that guests can relax and get a good night's sleep. All with a little New York touchThis is our home town.
What role does business travel play in your strategy?
Jayne O'Brien - We've said it before: our mission is to be a company for everyone, whatever their reason for travelling. So our strategy is to support both segments. Business travellers can opt for our 24 Mint seats. We will continue to study the destinations that the French market would like to be able to reach. We will examine this over time to see where the business and leisure traffic flows are. For example, on the leisure side, there is strong demand in France for travel to the Dominican Republic via New York, and we are particularly strong on these routes between JFK and the Dominican Republic. And we operate our own terminal at JFK, Terminal 5, which gives us greater control over the products and services we can offer our customers.
You're also investing in Terminal 6, aren't you?
Jayne O'Brien - Yes, we are investing to support our development. But we will keep Terminal 5There is a lot of new construction planned for the next two years at JFK airport to improve the quality of service. We are also going to renovate a large part of the interior of terminal 5 this year and install more shops there.
Do you offer business customers airport business lounges?
Jayne O'Brien - We don't have any lounges at the moment. This is part of our plans for the future. And we are in the process of building our own lounge in Terminal 5.
The loyalty programme often creates a special bond between business travellers and their national airline. Is this also an area where you want to be a troublemaker?
Jayne O'Brien - That's right. We relaunched our TrueBlue loyalty programme a month ago, and this is also part of our 'disruptive' strategy. Because our programme isn't just for frequent travellers. We also offer benefits to less frequent travellers, so you don't have to be a road warrior to benefit from TrueBlue. The programme is linked to spending, not just on flights, but also by booking holidays with us, services such as car hire or hotels.
What balance of customers do you expect on the Paris-New York route? What will be the balance between American and European passengers, for example?
Jayne O'Brien - Initially, a lot of customers will come from New York, because that's our home town and we're very strong on the East Coast. Our customers have told us that they want to come to France and that they want JetBlue to fly to France. But we're concentrating on building the French market. I'll say it again: we're for everyone.
What is your roadmap for Paris and Europe?
Jayne O'Brien - We'll see, as and when we get new longer-range aircraft, we'll see, we'll see. Above all, we want ensure that the French market understands our value propositionWe're building good connection points in New York and Boston for the French market. I really hope that French travellers will like our product. We're also going to focus on 'Where next? So we'll be launching Amsterdam in August and then we'll be looking at where our next destination is in the European market. This is a very important strategic decision for us, and we're clearly determined to succeed.
Where will the Airbus A321XLRs you ordered at the Paris Air Show be going?
Jayne O'Brien - We haven't announced them yet. We're considering going further into continental Europe, but we haven't made a firm decision yet. We're going to look into the question of longer destinations from New York and Boston to Europe.
Aren't you worried about congestion on the transatlantic route, not only with the traditional airlines but also with other players who are also arriving on the Paris-New York route, such as Norse?
Jayne O'Brien - The models are different. Norse is a low-cost airline, for example. And we present ourselves as a unique player, offering a great product at a great price. We know from all the research we've done with our customers that the fares charged on Paris-New York flights have been ridiculously high in our opinion. That's why we're introducing the product and the price levels we're charging. We believe that the market is ripe for disruption by JetBlue and the introduction of this product. It's a very unique proposition. We're not like Norse, and we're not a traditional carrier. We're very different. We are a high added value company.
