This article from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by psa188@xxxxxxxxx These dumb idiots don't realize that JetBlue's headquarters are in Kew Gardens, not Forest Hills. psa188@xxxxxxxx /-------------------- advertisement -----------------------\ FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: IN AMERICA - IN THEATRES NOVEMBER 26 Fox Searchlight Pictures proudly presents IN AMERICA directed by Academy Award(R) Nominee Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot and In The Name of the Father). IN AMERICA stars Samantha Morton, Paddy Considine and Djimon Hounsou. For more info: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/inamerica \----------------------------------------------------------/ JetBlue Backs Off on Move to Jamaica From Forest Hills November 8, 2003 By MIKE McINTIRE Attempts to lure JetBlue Airways into moving its headquarters to a planned $200 million office tower in Jamaica, Queens, appear all but dead for now, with the company saying the move would be too costly and would take longer than expected to complete. The three-year-old airline, based in Forest Hills, has been negotiating for months with the city and the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation about possibly relocating to the 500,000-square-foot building. The tower is to be the first phase of JFK Corporate Square, a major project hailed by economic development officials as an engine of commercial growth for Jamaica. But yesterday, Richard Smyth, vice president of redevelopment for JetBlue, splashed cold water on the proposal, saying, "At this stage, it looks like it's not going to happen." "We were approached and we considered it," Mr. Smyth said in a telephone interview. "However, the numbers did not work out. The move was supposed to be financially neutral, but it looks like it won't be." Mr. Smyth added that the expected completion date for construction of the office building was further away than initially expected, causing additional complications. "The timing of the development was not, at this time, meeting our needs," he said. "The date had slipped from 2005 to 2006, and even beyond." Still, Mr. Smyth would not rule out a move to the Jamaica site at some point. He said JetBlue had no other plans to leave its current headquarters. Economic development officials reacted with puzzlement to JetBlue's statements, and insisted that talks over a possible move were still alive. Michael Sherman, a spokesman for the city's Economic Development Corporation, said city officials expected to meet with JetBlue executives for further talks in the next two weeks. "They did call us and said they had some concerns," he said. "But we're optimistic. We're still hopeful that we can make it work." Mr. Sherman declined to comment on the negotiations with JetBlue or on what financial incentives, if any, the city might be prepared to offer. He called the airline "an incredibly important company for New York City." A spokesman for the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, Sam Samuels, issued a statement saying, "We are still hopeful that the discussions the airline is having with the city will be fruitful." The problems with the JFK Corporate Square proposal are unrelated to another major project by JetBlue and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey: the construction of a 26-gate terminal at Kennedy International Airport. That project, expected to cost $600 million, would greatly expand JetBlue's already dominant presence at the airport. JFK Corporate Square, a 4.5 million-square-foot complex of office and retail space, would be built next to the Long Island Rail Road's Jamaica station and the new AirTrain rail line to Kennedy Airport. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has tentatively agreed to lease space in the first office tower to be built, and officials had been hoping that JetBlue would be the other major tenant. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/08/nyregion/08JETB.html?ex=1069664122&ei=1&en=834df5504d1cccec --------------------------------- Get Home Delivery of The New York Times Newspaper. Imagine reading The New York Times any time & anywhere you like! Leisurely catch up on events & expand your horizons. Enjoy now for 50% off Home Delivery! Click here: http://www.nytimes.com/ads/nytcirc/index.html HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact onlinesales@xxxxxxxxxxx or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help@xxxxxxxxxxxx Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company