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JetBlue Airways COO Robert Maruster on efforts to get the airline’s schedule back to normal after Hurricane Sandy.
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US congressman.
Well hurricane as sandy grounding almost 161000.
Flights closing nine New York City airport so what does a disaster of this magnitude have on the airline industry.
Well let's go from -- of the industry -- -- to jetBlue rob.
Ameristar is the COO of jetBlue Airways -- and rob that everybody is saying that jetBlue is really.
Hugely affected if not the most affected because of your big hubs at JFK and LaGuardia.
And I know you have flights at everywhere up and down the -- eastern seaboard how our operations going right now.
Can't -- there they're they're definitely not going right now up and down the eastern sea board but tonight we.
We begin the slow process of bringing some of our aircraft back in the Boston number to begin operating a couple departures there for New York though you know as the conditions continue to change particularly with the flooding.
Out of LaGuardia.
The lack of power in some of the facility damage it -- work -- some of the flooding on the runways at JFK we're gonna be a little bit -- -- and our -- and as I figured this afternoon what the team is working on is trying to bring back operations at least half of our departures on Thursday into JFK.
And we're gonna still be a little bit of latency mode with that Newark and LaGuardia but I know the Port Authority is doing everything they can -- Get the runways clear get the infrastructure ready for us operate.
-- word where where your aircraft it during the storm running them damage during the storm.
I dated now fortunately all of our pre planning you know just like the MTA moving subways -- -- getting them out of harm's way we.
We definitely prepared on Saturday and began -- to airlift aircraft out on Sunday.
A lot of them in Florida and out in the midwest we really wanted to get them out of harm's way because the last thing -- -- you.
With that with us with such an expensive after it also are people want to get them home in.
And safe and secure well well in advance of the storm making landfall so fortunately no we have no damage -- You know it's not over now it's hitting Cleveland and Chicago some of the mid western -- so that continues to affect airlines but is jetBlue offering customers.
Who booked -- had to cancel -- the offering anything like waved cancellation fees -- -- plan.
Definitely lived in fact is that if -- lose anything we are flexible and customer friendly so work.
We're gonna be extremely generous with our customers in terms of every booking their plans and really that the first priority when we get things back up and running as -- get stranded people that are kind of -- their midway point back home.
But work -- currently looking at getting a 100% of our schedule back on line by Saturday.
And that's just a function of how complex it is to get all the pieces back together.
All the air -- back where they need to be in all of our crew members that work in the airports.
Back operating again to it's gonna take -- a couple days to get back to normal.
Have you added up there I I know that hopefully most of those people who have to.
To cancel their flights during the storm are re booking but not everybody will there must be a cost all this -- you added it up.
You know David it's way too early to it to think about the total net effect -- this term.
Revenue and and cost standpoint but obviously wouldn't when something has just larger magnitude it's gonna have an impact that -- You know being that -- have qwest or people we are here jetBlue week we think that if we do you think is right now -- -- come back to us over the vacation period over the holidays.
You expect that it will -- this is that the stock market question affect your bottom line I can't imagine how it wouldn't but what are you anticipating.
Well we're we're still we're still going through that tally list I think -- until the until everything is back to normal we won't be able to get an official tally bed.
There's definitely a revenue impact but but I would also -- -- with with the jet fuel being as expensive as it is today about 325 a gallon were also saving a lot of money by not operating as well so all the and it's just -- -- to be a -- to the company but we're -- it's -- be minimal given.
The middle of the week impact because were were definitely -- a -- a weekend airline.
Rob -- -- COO of jetBlue jetBlue is really a part of New York part of the hold northeast United States new York and Boston.
Rob best Alexia thanks for joining us appreciate -- -- --
