JetBlue Airways Proud to Celebrate at this Year’s NYC Pride Parade!
As New York’s Hometown Airline™, JetBlue was very proud to participate in the recent NYC Pride March. Senior company leaders along with members of the JetPride crewmember resource group (CRG) took to the streets to celebrate JetBlue’s support of diversity to the more than 2 million spectators in attendance.
JetBlue celebrated the historic pride march in a big way and with a hometown twist. The airline’s entourage of nearly 500 crewmembers and friends was joined by the 50-person Brooklyn United Marching Band, two dozen ribbon dancers from Bianca’s Dance Academy in Brooklyn, five custom-branded tricycles made locally in Queens by Worksman Cycles, six 30-foot rainbow balloon arches, 50 celebratory signs, more than 25,000 giveaways and 150 pounds of rainbow glitter.
Since JetBlue likes to surprise and delight customers, volunteers also offered up pride revelers more than 500 travel certificates good for complimentary travel on the airline.
At JetBlue, Crewmember Resource Groups (CRGs) like JetPride provide support and networking opportunities, foster open communications and enhance the airline’s welcoming culture. CRGs are grassroots groups of crewmembers formed to act as a resource for both the group members as well as JetBlue. These groups serve as an avenue to embrace and encourage different perspectives, thoughts and ideas.
JetBlue supports equal rights in the workplace, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. JetPride is the airline’s oldest CRG and continues to blaze a trail by educating crewmembers about issues that affect the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Informative and eye-opening event speakers in the past year have included Robina Asti, a 93 year old transgender woman, pilot and World War II Veteran, and LGBT travel experts Ed Salvato and Billy Kolber.
Last year, JetBlue stood up against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which barred same-sex marriages, and reiterated its support for marriage equality in a filing with the Supreme Court in early 2015. Also this year, JetBlue extended its support for transgender crewmembers by adding gender reassignment surgery in its U.S. medical plans. JetBlue’s commitment to creating a great place to work for LGBT crewmembers was recognized with a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign’s 2015 Corporate Equality Index and in June of this year when the Empire State Pride Agenda recognized JetBlue for corporate leadership with its Equality@Work Award.
About CSR at JetBlue:
JetBlue’s mission it to inspire humanity. This means displaying caring actions both in the air as well as on the ground in the communities we serve. As a responsible corporate citizen, JetBlue works with a variety of nonprofit partners to make a difference in the communities it serves. This commitment to inspire humanity is how the airline conducts business every day. JetBlue works hand-in-hand with local, national and global organizations, connecting communities within its areas of commitment: youth and education; community and the environment.
Learn more about Corporate Social Responsibility at JetBlue here
Contact:
Tamara Young
Manager Corporate Communications
JetBlue Airways
Desk: (718) 709-3537
Media Hotline (24/7): 718 709-3089
