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Transcript: Mayor Eric Adams, JetBlue Make Economic Development and Jobs-Related Announcement

March 29, 2022

Emcee: Good morning, everybody. You excited to be here? Well, we're very excited for you to be here. We have some very special guests here as well, not all hiring events look like this. They're all great, but this one, we've got some great VIPs as well to speak today. And without further ado, I want to bring up JetBlue's CEO Robin Hayes.

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Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you. Thank you. I'm just curious how many of you love to travel? I'm feeling that. You know, when I leave City Hall, I'm going to apply for a job with JetBlue so I can fly for free. You know, you guys and ladies, you're going to be able to fly for free and your families. That in itself is worth the job, that in itself. But let me tell you something else you're going to do. Our economy has been grounded, COVID has devastated us. COVID has left us in the belief that there is no real recovery.

Mayor Adams: But you know, and I know those of you who have traveled abroad or who have traveled to see loved ones or friends, you know the first impression is the best emotion. And when you get on a plane, or when you are in the ticket counter or one of the kiosks and someone comes to help you, and you start your day and the stewardess walks through, the flight attendants and they give you that smile. They give you that feeling of assurance that starts your destiny, starts your journey. You are the ambassadors for New York City to help our economic recovery.

Mayor Adams: We have a tourism industry that we put—$72 billion come from. 400,000 people are employed in that industry. If we get it wrong, if someone fails to have a good interaction with you at a JetBlue counter or on a plane, then people don't want to come back to our city. This is not merely a moment of being employed, this is a moment of finally get our economy back into flight so we can turn around our city and show the country how resilient we are. So we need you. We need you.

Mayor Adams: As you go through this period of being interviewed, think about what you all are about to embrace. That young person that never traveled before, his first experience on a plane, a little apprehension, a little butterflies in his stomach. That mother or father that sends their loved one off to school for the first time. The people who are going on their honeymoon. Or individuals who are going to visit a sick loved one as my brother just took a plane flight to see his daughter. You have such a significant role in the recovery of New York City. And no matter what anyone states, there's only two types of people on this planet, those who live in New York and those who wish they could.

Mayor Adams: Thank you JetBlue for these 5,000 new jobs, for your expansion, for your investment, for your belief in the greatest city on the planet. Let's continue to aspire. No one knows that better than a person that visits so many countries than our chairman of foreign affairs, my good friend, Congressman Gregory Meeks. Congressman Meeks.

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Emcee: And now I'd like to introduce Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer.

Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, Economic and Workforce Development: Good morning, everyone. I am so thrilled to be here. Being in this room, you can really sense an incredible level of energy, of excitement, and of opportunity. It's already been said, but I want each and every one of you to know, in particular those who are standing in the back, that you are here not just for yourselves and for your families, but make no mistake you are here for New York City. And that you have shown up today, that you will start the next amazing chapter of your career is only good and beautiful for our great city. Because our greatest strength as New York City is our diversity. And that is clear from just seeing each and every one of your faces in this room.

Deputy Mayor Torres-Springer: I want to thank the entire JetBlue team for their partnership for their leadership. We have been in partnership with them for many, many years and decades to help them grow their corporate headquarters right here in Queens. And we know that the step that they are taking today, in partnership with so many, is not just a testament to their commitment and their willingness to doubling down on New York, but it also means that this city continues to be open for business. If this is a direct result of what can happen when the public sector, when the private sector and so many other partners really come together to think about what it means to creatively and collaboratively work together to keep our city moving.

Deputy Mayor Torres-Springer: In addition to the job fair today and the more than 5,000 jobs that are going to be added to our city's payrolls, that travel incentive that JetBlue is announcing today will encourage more visitors to come experience the amazing attractions in all five boroughs. Now at the height of the pandemic, New York City's flow of tourists fell to just about 20 million. Now that is down from a high of about 70 million in 2019. So that is why reinvigorating our tourism industry is such a central component of the mayor's blueprint for an equitable economic recovery.

Deputy Mayor Torres-Springer: But we know that as we grow and nurture all of the city sectors, including tourism, that we have to do that in a way that creates meaningful job opportunities for New Yorkers. And that is what today's event is all about. So I'm looking forward to working with everyone here today, our business partners, our community leaders, to continue to bring back our economy to full strength. And I hope, and the mayor has called on so many of our business leaders in the city that they take a page from JetBlue's book, because it is very clear that what they are doing here today is about adding jobs. It's about reinvesting in New York, and it's about recommitting to the city that we all love. Thanks to everyone.

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Emcee: Now, we'd like to bring up New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.

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Emcee: Now, I'd like to introduce Queens Borough President Donovan Richards.

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Emcee: Now we'd like to introduce New York City Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers.

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Emcee: Now we'd like to bring up the Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton.

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Emcee: We're going to take a couple questions from the media, Mayor Adams. Yes. All questions on-topic, please.

Question: What is your understanding of the timetable for when the people will actually get on the payroll and start working?

Mayor Adams: Got the man right here.

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