--- In BATN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "6/6 SF Examiner" <batn@xxxx> wrote: Published Monday, June 6, 2005, in the San Francisco Examiner JetBlue continues to pass on SFO "World's best" airline prefers lower-fee local airports By Mary F. Albert BURLINGAME -- For the second year in a row, JetBlue Airways has earned the title of "World's Best Low-Cost Carrier" from travelers around the globe. But those looking to fly out of San Francisco International Airport may have to wait a few more years before they can board the airline's new aircraft, which is loaded with leather seats and satellite television. Although the New York-based carrier continues to expand flight offerings at Oakland International and Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International airports, it has no immediate plans to launch service at SFO. "We'd like to carry customers where they want to go. Eventually that means serving SFO," said Dave Ulmer, JetBlue's vice president of planning. "[But] for right now, we are happy with the flights we have in Oakland and service in San Jose is doing well." The carrier, which recently added a second flight from San Jose to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, has gained popularity in recent years. In a survey released Thursday by London-based Skytrax Research, JetBlue won the title of "World's Best Low-Cost Carrier" based on surveys conducted between June 2004 and May 2005. More than 12 million air travelers from more than 94 countries were surveyed. "I love JetBlue," said Rita Patel, who maintains a residence in San Francisco and another in San Diego. "It is super cheap. And I think they have better cocktails." While Patel predominantly flies with United Airlines, she said she would likely switch allegiances if JetBlue were to launch operations at SFO. Airline executives selected Oakland over SFO in 2000 to provide new service between New York and the Bay Area because Oakland had cheaper fees and was less congested, said Ulmer. SFO also lost Southwest Airlines to Oakland and San Jose. Since then, the airport's planners have secured tenancies from low-cost carriers WestJet and Independence Air. But to those cost-conscious travelers who would prefer to fly out of SFO, the news that they would have to continue commuting to Oakland or San Jose to catch low-cost flights on Southwest or JetBlue came as a disappointment. "It is really about the rates," said San Francisco resident Spencer Murray, who regularly drives to Oakland to catch flights on Southwest. "[Crossing the Bay Bridge] can make a difference of a couple hundred bucks." E-mail: malbert@xxxx --- End forwarded message ---