New York City’s healthcare heroes will receive another aerial salute this evening courtesy of JetBlue Airlines.
The Long Island City-based carrier will send three of its custom jets on a low-altitude joyride over the five boroughs starting tonight, May 7, at 7 p.m. It will coincide with the nightly #ClapBecauseWeCare tributes held across the city honoring doctors, nurses, lab technicians and others working to save lives during the coronavirus pandemic.
The three custom JetBlue jets themselves serve as tributes to New York City: “Blue Finest” bears the flag of the New York City Police Department; “Blue Bravest” has a red tail and bears the emblem of the New York City Fire Department; and “I <B New York,” which features the I heart NY logo.
The planes will take off from John F. Kennedy International Airport and reach a cruising altitude of 2,000 feet while skimming the waterfronts of Brooklyn and Queens, then turn back over the Bronx and the Hudson River waterfront of Manhattan.
The jets will then zip past the Verrazzano Bridge near Staten Island before flying over the Rockaways before turning back to Kennedy Airport for a landing.
“JetBlue’s mission of inspiring humanity is stronger now more than ever,” said Joanna Geraghty, president and chief operating officer, JetBlue. “We applaud the healthcare workers who are helping us get through this challenging time and inspiring humanity along the way. This is an opportunity for us to fly it forward and show our appreciation for the heroic efforts of medical professionals, first responders and public servants – not just here in our home of New York but around the country as well.”
In addition to the flyover, JetBlue also announced it will be donating pairs of roundtrip flight certificates to 10,000 healthcare workers affiliated with the Mount Sinai Health System.
The JetBlue flyover comes a week after the Blue Angels and U.S. Air Force aircraft blazed across New York skies in recognition of those on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.
