JetBlue to remain in New York

Associated Press

NEW YORK

JetBlue is keeping its corporate headquarters in New York City after considering a possible move to Orlando, Fla.

The company said recently it will move about 1,000 staffers from two area offices to a new location in Long Island City, in the New York City borough of Queens. The carrier’s main office is currently in neighboring Forest Hills. It also has a small finance department in Darien, Conn.

The airline mulled a move out of New York for more than a year.

It originally considered four other cities and recently narrowed the alternatives to Orlando, the site of its training facility.

To help convince JetBlue to stay put, New York City offered to invest up to $3 million in the airline’s Terminal 5 at Kennedy Airport and a $7 million tax exemption.

The airline in turn said it will create up to 200 new jobs in the city over the next five years.

JetBlue and New York State have also agreed to a joint branding deal for the iconic “I Love NY” logo.

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