JetBlue Boss gets Two-Year Contract Extension
Originally published on Airways
Robin Hayes, Chief Executive Officer at JetBlue Airways (B6), has received a two-year contract extension. The New York-based carrier announced the move during a filing on December 9 with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). His contract now extends through September 1, 2025, and does not change the terms of his original deal. B6’s board of directors approved the extension on December 8.
Hayes, who has served as CEO since February 2015, joined the carrier in 2008 as an executive vice president and Chief Commercial Officer. Then, in January 2014, he became the airline’s president and JetBlue’s third CEO. Previously, he worked for British Airways (BA) for 19 years and served as Vice President for the Americas for the UK flag carrier, amongst other roles.
The announcement comes as B6 expands its Northeast Alliance with American Airlines (AA). The pair have added 11 new routes from New York (JFK) and Boston (BOS). However, a pending decision in a federal antitrust trial is challenging the airline’s partnership.
JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes. Photo: IATA.
Spirit Takeover Saga
B6 is also set to purchase ultra-low-cost giant Spirit Airlines (NK). The US$3.8bn takeover bid is pending federal regulatory approval and has become somewhat of an aviation soap opera. In February 2022, Denver-based Frontier (F9) announced plans to merge with NK. Then in April, JetBlue responded with an all-cash offer for NK, leading shareholders to terminate the planned merger with F9.
Under Hayes, JetBlue has become one of the largest low-cost carriers in the United States. In August 2021, the airline entered the transatlantic market with its inaugural service to London from JFK. They recently announced plans to add more transatlantic destinations in the summer of 2023, with new routes between New York (JFK) and Boston (BOS) and Paris (CDG).
On October 25, the carrier reported its 2022 third-quarter earnings, announcing a profit of US$57m and overall revenue of US$2.6bn. This is up by almost 30% from the third quarter of 2021, where they posted US$2bn in revenue.
