JetBlue mulls new service, sees strong growth NEW YORK (Reuters) =97 JetBlue Airways first-ever shareholders' meeting was= =20 marked with smatterings of laughter, jokes, and aggressive growth forecasts= =20 =97 all rare in an industry slogging through its worst-ever downturn. Major= =20 U.S. airlines are slashing billions of dollars in annual expenses to keep=20 their businesses aloft, but JetBlue Chief Executive David Neeleman said in= =20 an interview that relative newcomer, whose unit costs are at industry lows,= =20 does not feel pressure to bring its own expenses down further. New=20 York-based JetBlue expects to grow by 55% to 60% this year and another 30%= =20 to 40% next year, its Chief Financial Officer, John Owen, told shareholders= =20 at the airline's annual meeting in New York City. JetBlue has 41 airplanes= =20 currently in service and a staff of about 5,000. JetBlue, which announced=20 an order last month for 65 Airbus A320 aircraft with options for 50 more,=20 plans to take delivery of a total of 16 airplanes this year and another 15= =20 next year. The airline will have to determine by this summer where to use=20 the remaining 12 airplanes it has scheduled for delivery this year,=20 Neeleman said. "We're trying to decide where to send those planes, and we=20 have a lot of choices," Neeleman said. In response to a shareholder=20 question, Neeleman said JetBlue could consider running a few flights into=20 Islip airport on New York's Long Island, but he said the airline was happy= =20 for now with its service out of John F. Kennedy airport. JetBlue shares=20 closed up 13 cents to $32.08 on the Nasdaq exchange on Wednesday, close to= =20 its year high of $33.66. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Mas Site: www.tntisland.com/tntrecords/mas2003/ Site of the Week: http://www.caribbeanfloral.com TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************