With almost 140 registrations, JetBlue, BrandUSA and Expedia TAAP can look back on a successful movie night at Pathé in Utrecht Leidsche Rijn. “We had hoped for 60 people and it turned out to be more than double that,” said André van der Sluis, senior sales manager of JetBlue Benelux in his opening speech. Prior to the presentations and film screening (The Great Escaper, starring 90-year-old Michael Caine), plenty of snacks and drinks were served in the foyer. Van der Sluis briefly recalled that for a while it seemed that JetBlue would not receive slots from Schiphol for the 2024 summer season due to the imposed shrinkage. But it worked out well. In January, it was announced that JetBlue, which started flights at Schiphol in 2023, will continue to fly from Amsterdam in the summer of 2024. Although JetBlue is a newcomer to Schiphol, with flights to New York JFK and Boston, the airline should certainly not be labelled as a start-up, Van der Sluis stressed. “JetBlue started in 2000 and will be 25 years old next year.” JetBlue has two flights a day from Schiphol: to New York JFK and to Boston. Both cities are JetBlue’s focus cities, from which passengers can fly on to other destinations. JetBlue’s two flights depart from Schiphol two hours apart every day. Two new aircraft will be used: the A321 Neo LR, a narrow-body aircraft with a single aisle. There are 138 seats on board, divided into three classes: Core (Economy) with 90 seats, Even More Space (24 seats) and Mint (Business class) with 22 suites and 2 studios. On behalf of BrandUSA, Charonne in het Veld gave an insight into the many possibilities that New York and Boston offer as destinations. For example, Boston has many surprising walks in the historic part of the city. And New York actually offers too much, In het Veld argued. “If you’re going to New York, plan in advance what you want to see and do.” Jennifer Eering, on behalf of Expedia TAAP, outlined the benefits of this booking platform for travel agents. Launched in 2002, Expedia TAAP now operates in 30 countries, working with 35,000 travel agents. The booking platform has an exclusive deal with Marriott, where B2B rates are bookable. The presentation ended with an award ceremony. The lucky winner was Iris Goulmy from Personal Touch Travel (Travel by Iris) in Nieuw-Vennep. She went home with two JetBlue tickets to Boston, including two nights at Boston Marriott Copley Palace. Photo: André van der Sluis (JetBlue) and Charonne in het Veld (BrandUSA).
Photo: winner Iris Goulmy (center) with Suyay Lopez and André van der Sluis of JetBlue.
