JETBLUE DUE IN BURBANK AIRLINE TO ANNOUNCE DAILY NONSTOP FLIGHTS FROM HOPE AIRPORT TO NYC.

Byline: Candice Choi Staff Writer

BURBANK - JetBlue Airways will announce today plans for daily flights from Bob Hope Airport to New York, giving the San Fernando Valley its first nonstop flights to the East Coast.

The popular low-cost carrier - known for its personalized TV screens and spacious seats - will operate three daily flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport beginning May 24, with a fourth flight added July 15, said Kristy Ardizzone, a spokeswoman for the New York-based airline.

Charles Lombardo, chairman of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Commission, said JetBlue initiated discussions to bring coast-to-coast flights to the Valley.

``We got a call from them five days ago that said, 'we're going to fly from Burbank to JFK'. It happened that quick,'' Lombardo said.

The discount airline which took the industry by storm with its launch just five years ago, already operates out of two airports in the greater Los Angeles region - Long Beach Airport and Ontario International.

``We get a lot of requests from people who live in that area,'' Ardizzone said. ``People don't want to drive all the way down to Long Beach so it's a perfect fit for that area.''

Fares have not been established but round-trip flights from Long Beach and Ontario to JFK cost $99.

The addition of Burbank builds on JetBlue's recent West Coast expansion which will include Portland, Ore., and Seattle.

At Bob Hope, the carrier will take over the gates that will be vacated by Aloha Airlines in April, Lombardo said.

``We can't control where they fly. They have indicated there may be other routes though,'' he said. ``What they're gonna add is something we're not aware of now.''

Among JetBlue's other destinations are Boston, Washington, D.C., and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Delta Airlines, which returned to Bob Hope this month, currently operates the longest transcontinental flight from Burbank: one daily nonstop flight to Atlanta. It also offers four daily flights to Salt Lake City.

``There's no other nonstop (flight) to the East Coast,'' said Victor Gill, an airport spokesman.

All told, Bob Hope has about 95 flights daily. And while the number of planes taking off and landing from the airport has diminished, the number of passengers is near record numbers.

Full flights such as those are still somewhat rare in an industry that continues to struggle with the reverberations of 9-11.

Budget carriers like JetBlue and Southwest Airlines, which also flies from Burbank, have been growing while older airlines such as United have suffered financial difficulties recently.

Candice Choi, [phone]

candice.choi(at)dailynews.com