[5] JetBlue started by following Southwest's approach of offering low-cost travel, but sought to distinguish itself by its amenities, such as in-flight entertainment, TV at every seat, and Sirius XM satellite radio.

[citation needed] In September 1999, the airline was awarded 75 initial take-off/landing slots at John F. Kennedy International Airport and received its USDOT CPCN authorization in February 2000.

[citation needed] While its financial performance started showing signs of improvement, in February 2007, JetBlue faced a crisis, when the blizzard of 2007 hit the Northeast and Midwest, throwing the airline's operations into chaos.

[13] In February 2007, JetBlue announced its partnership with Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus to allow passengers to switch between airlines on a single ticket for flights with connections in either New York JFK or Boston.

[14][15][16][17] Following the February 2007 incident in which the airline was forced to cancel nearly 1,700 flights due to winter storms, JetBlue's board of directors replaced founder and chief executive officer David Neeleman with Dave Barger.

[22] ExpressJet operated routes between Boston Logan and Buffalo, New York, and Washington Dulles, and between New York–JFK and Columbus, Ohio (since terminated), and Richmond, Virginia.

[29] After making a codeshare agreement with Lufthansa that went into effect in 2010, JetBlue transitioned to the Sabre reservation system[30] enabling the airlines to sell tickets on each other's flights, transfer luggage and passengers between the two carriers, and combine frequent flyer programs.

[31] By making use of JetBlue's North America routes as a feeder network, the agreement put Lufthansa in a position to operate quasi-hubs in New York–JFK and Boston Logan.

and with BlackBerry producer Research in Motion, that the airline would offer free, limited Wi-Fi capabilities on a single aircraft, N651JB, an Airbus A320-232 dubbed "BetaBlue".

[32] On March 19, 2008, JetBlue added Orlando, Florida, as a gateway focus city to international destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, and South America.

In conjunction with the addition of new routes the airline continued significant expansion of operations at Orlando International Airport including a 292-room lodge that houses trainees attending the existing "JetBlue University" training facility, which opened in 2015.

[38][39] On October 22, 2008, JetBlue opened its new primary hub at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Terminal 5, or simply T5, costing approximately $800 million to build.

Besides a new tail design, the revised livery includes larger "billboard" titles extending down over the passenger windows at the front of the aircraft.

[50] JetBlue planned to combine its Forest Hills and Darien, Connecticut, offices, together about 1,000 employees, into about 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2) in the Brewster Building by mid-2012.

[51][56][57] in Queens Plaza in Long Island City,[55] move its headquarters there in mid-2012,[58] and start a joint branding deal with New York State using the iconic I Love NY logo.

[64] On April 22, 2014, JetBlue's pilots voted to unionize for the first time since the airline was founded, with 71% casting ballots in favor of joining the ALPA.

[65] On September 18, 2014, Dave Barger announced his resignation from the company effective February 16, 2015, following several reports that investors and the board were unhappy with his performance.

[79] In April 2018, JetBlue announced their return to Ontario International Airport in southern California after ten years, as well as new service to Steamboat Springs in Colorado, and Bozeman in Montana.

[82][83] On October 18, 2019, JetBlue and Norwegian Air Shuttle announced plans for an interline agreement that would permit sales of jointly-issued tickets, which if approved between the two airlines, would come into effect during 2020.

[85][86] In February 2020, Joel Peterson announced his intention to retire from the airline's board of directors at the end of his current term, and was succeeded by Peter Boneparth in May 2020.

[citation needed] As a result of the economic effects caused by the pandemic, the company launched voluntary separation and extended time off programs.

By August 2020, JetBlue, along with Southwest Airlines, implemented strict policies for the wearing of face masks, which did not allow for medical exemptions, as part of its procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[92][93] On July 16, 2020, American Airlines joined JetBlue in a strategic partnership called the "Northeast Alliance," which allowed the two carriers to share passengers and revenue and coordinate schedules for flights to and from New York's three major airports and Boston.

[94][95] While the deal with American had the blessing of the Trump administration, the Department of Justice under President Biden, along with six states and the District of Columbia, initiated an antitrust lawsuit in 2022.

[115] In legal filings, the Justice Department claims that the merger will result in "higher fares, fewer seats, and harm millions of consumers".

Full-page newspaper advertisements boasted low fares, new aircraft, leather seats, spacious legroom, and a customer-service-oriented staff committed to "bringing humanity back to air travel".

In April 2000, flat-screen monitors installed in every seatback allowed customers live access to over 20 DirecTV channels at no additional cost.

Amenities such as their live in-flight television, free and unlimited snack offerings, comfortable legroom, and unique promotions fostered an image of impeccable customer service that rivaled the major airlines, while competitive low fares made them a threat to low-cost, no-frills carriers as well.

JetBlue's initial investment helped Universal Hydrogen accelerate development and production of its regional aircraft conversion kits.

[166] This homegrown platform represented JetBlue's expansion into selling non-air travel products, effectively extending the airline's service and loyalty program beyond flights.