All Things Travel: JetBlue Begins Boston To Dallas Service
BOSTON (CBS) - May 1 marks the start of three daily non-stop flights between Logan Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth.
It is the 44th non-stop destination serviced by JetBlue from Boston. ��It's also the first city added by the New York-based airline to a city not already served by the carrier at Kennedy Airport in New York.
Dallas/Fort Worth has been working for several years to get JetBlue flights into their airport.
About 130 passengers were aboard the first flight that left Logan Airport at 7:08 a.m. Tuesday.
Business people can make it a one day trip with the last non-stop flight returning to Boston at 5:50 p.m. local time.
JetBlue New England manager Norbert Strissel was especially pleased to note the amount of cargo being carried on the first flight.
"We're taking lobsters from Legal Sea Foods to give to the DFW airport people at the event in Dallas," said Strissel.
"We'll also have 2,500 pounds of live lobsters as cargo on the first flight. I am very happy to see it."
Dallas was the most requested city by business travelers not served by JetBlue out of Boston.
DFW Airport handled 57 million passengers last year, more than double the count at Logan.
85 percent of that was carried by American Airlines, which is now in bankruptcy.
Reports are that US Airways may bid to merge with American. US Airways currently has only six percent of the market in Dallas.
Walid Tikriti, principal of Acoustonica, and a passenger on the first flight, was typical of the customer JetBlue hopes to attract.
He lives in Brookline, but goes to Dallas twice a month to their office there.
"I gave up priority boarding on American for this JetBlue flight. I am not happy with what I see with the AA brand and like what I see with JetBlue," said Tokriti.
At a morning event at Logan prior to the first flight, Massport was represented by Todd Smith, Director of Aviation Operations, JetBlue by Vice President Dennis Corrigan and the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport by Luis Eduardo Perez, Vice President of Air Service Development who made the trip to Boston.
Bob Weiss reports on business travel on Mondays at 5:55 a.m. on WBZ NewsRadio 1030.
