A blue curtain dropped shortly after 1 p.m. Friday at JetBlue's Hangar 81 in Jamaica, N.Y., and there was an Airbus 320 that featured large JETS lettering across the fuselage, a Jets helmet near the rear, a green belly, green wing tips and a green tail.
"This is long overdue," said Jets owner Woody Johnson. "This is a most magnificent piece of equipment."
"I think it's incredible," added Curtis Martin. "The Jets are the hot team and this plane is another way the Jets are thinking outside the box."
On Saturday, the Jets' plane will take off on its maiden voyage as a group of team sponsors, a couple of contest winners and a pair of JetBlue employees will head to Denver. Then on Sunday, those folks will watch the 4-1 Jets do battle with the 2-3 Broncos before returning to JFK.
But then the 152,000-pound Jets plane, which was brushed with 600,000 gallons of paint, will move about the country and beyond.
"This plane takes our partnership to a new level and new heights, both literally and figuratively," Johnson said. "We are looking forward to not only seeing our Jets jet in the skies around the New York region but across the country and around the globe."
It's a partnership of two successful companies as JetBlue is the largest domestic airline at JFK Airport and the Green & White have a wide national following.
"JetBlue is an incredible airline and we like to think they're very similar to the Jets. They're bold, they're aggressive and they're innovative, so it made a lot of sense for us to team up," said Matt Higgins, the Jets' executive vice president of business operations. "About a year ago, we started talking to the CEO and said, 'Wouldn't it be great if JetBlue had a JetGreen?' and Dave [JetBlue CEO Dave Barger] said, 'Yeah, that would be great.' "
"We play in the same back yard, with New York as our home turf," said Barger. "We have diverse, loyal fans that expect more of us than the other guys and we deliver on our brand promise."
If the Jets go on to win the Super Bowl in Dallas in February, then JetBlue and MasterCard are going to refund select ticket purchases made with MasterCard. For more information, visit jetBlue.com.
