SKY'S THE LIMIT BURBANK GIVES JETBLUE NEW HORIZON.

Byline: Candice Choi Staff Writer

BURBANK - JetBlue had its eyes on Bob Hope Airport for nearly a year when Aloha Airlines announced that it was pulling out after filing bankruptcy. The plush-discount carrier pounced.

JetBlue will begin service to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport on May 24, marking the first nonstop coast-to-coast flights out of Bob Hope Airport. An additional daily flight will be added July 15.

Chief Executive Officer David Neeleman said service will likely be expanded over the next year, with possible routes including flights to Boston and Washington, D.C. JetBlue's maximum number of flights out of its two gates at Burbank would be between 10 and 15, he said.

``We were waiting for an opportunity to open up,'' said Jim Smith, JetBlue's director of corporate properties.

With JetBlue's arrival in Long Beach just a few years ago, it was looking doubtful the low-cost carrier would ever land at Bob Hope, said Charles Lombardo, chairman of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority.

``I'm happy I was wrong. We've got blue skies for what seems like the first time in months. Maybe there's a coincidence of (JetBlue) making the announcement today,'' said Lombardo, referring to the break in torrential rains that have pounded the region.

Gareth Edmondson-Jones, spokesman for JetBlue, said the carrier would be interested in taking over any vacated gates in the future.

Victor Gill, spokesman for the airport, said Aloha's withdrawal was likely driven by the its recent Chapter 11 filing and efforts to consolidate at John Wayne Airport in Orange County.

JetBlue also operates out of Ontario Airport and Long Beach Airport, where it is also planning to add daily flights. It does not operate out of Los Angeles International Airport or John Wayne, the two largest in the region.

Although there are no limitations on the number of daily flights out of Bob Hope Airport, Gill said that number has remained steady at about 80 for the past several years.

Airport officials recently finalized an agreement with the city not to expand terminals for the next seven years, he said.

Burbank Mayor Marsha Ramos said she learned of JetBlue's arrival just this past weekend, and she praised the airline's commitment to honor the suggested 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. curfew for flights.

``Nighttime noise relief is important to our residents,'' she said.

JetBlue's arrival at Burbank builds upon the company's recent West Coast expansion to Seattle and Portland, Ore.

Last month JetBlue posted a 27 percent increase in fourth-quarter earnings from the same time a year ago, marking the 16th consecutive quarter of profitability for the 5-year-old company.

The company's runaway success signals the seismic shift in the airline industry, said Barbara Peterson, author of ``Blue Streak,'' which chronicles the company's rapid rise.

Low-cost carriers only accounted for about 10 percent of the market share just a few years ago. Today, she said, that figure is approaching 40 percent.

``It's forcing the big guys to change their fare structures. The balance of power has changed,'' she said.

As major airlines continue a financial nose dive, Peterson said, carriers like Southwest and JetBlue are keeping the pressure on them to lower fares. Nearly 75 percent of the country has access to a low-cost carrier, she said.

JetBlue will now offer more daily nonstop flights to California from New York than any other airline.

Candice Choi, [phone]

candice.choi(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) JetBlue CEO David Neeleman tells of plans for nonstop coast-to-coast flights out of Bob Hope Airport.

(2 -- color) A JetBlue tail section sparkles under blue skies Thursday at Burbank, where nonstop coast-to-coast flights will start May 24.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

Box:

Why so high on JetBlue?

SOURCE: JetBlue Airways