For the 9th Year, JetBlue’s Fly Like a Girl Event Fosters Youth Interest in Aviation Careers, Inspiring the Next Generation of Aviators
On Saturday, April 1, JetBlue (Nasdaq: JBLU) brought its signature Fly Like a Girl event to Fort Lauderdale, one of the airline’s six focus cities, for the first time. Fly Like a Girl events offer girls access to different careers in the aviation industry and the opportunity to learn directly from women crewmembers who help keep the airline running. In partnership with the airline’s Women in Flight Crewmember Resource Group (CRG), the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team, the Corporate Social Responsibility team and the JetBlue Foundation, the event supported more than 100 local youth ages 8-14 as they joined JetBlue to learn more and inspire interest about careers in aviation. The event was led by Ursula Hurley, JetBlue’s chief financial officer and president of the JetBlue Foundation, with local government officials, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz who represents Florida's 25th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Senator Nan Rich, Vice Mayor Broward County, in attendance.
“We are excited to bring our signature Fly Like a Girl event to our beloved Fort Lauderdale focus city for the first time, furthering our commitments to our South Florida communities and beyond,” said Ursula Hurley, president of the JetBlue Foundation. “As we near our 10-year JetBlue Foundation anniversary, we are proud of how far we have come, but realize that our work is far from over when it comes to continuing to break down barriers of entry into careers in aviation. Through our Fly Like a Girl event, we can inspire more young girls to see themselves within the aviation industry and STEM fields by having them interact and learn from our incredible women crewmembers who continue to pave the way for future generations of aviators.”
“I commend JetBlue Airways for encouraging young girls to pursue a career in aviation,” said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. “Aviation is a field that is traditionally and heavily male dominated. Programs like this one will help expand opportunities for young girls to increase female representation in the industry.”
“I’m excited that JetBlue is hosting their signature foundation event “Fly Like a Girl” in Fort Lauderdale for the first time. This event gives children, especially girls, the chance to learn about the aviation industry, and foster their interest in a career in aviation. Congratulations to JetBlue for engaging young girls in this exciting opportunity!” said Senator Nan Rich, Vice Mayor Broward County.
“At JetBlue, we believe every child should have the opportunity to learn about the rich and robust careers within the aviation industry,” said Icema Gibbs, vice president CSR and DEI, JetBlue. “One of most proactive ways we can inspire the next generation of aviators is through educational initiatives that encourage students and provide access to pursue STEM paths as early as possible. We are proud to bring our annual Fly Like a Girl event to more communities throughout our network to demonstrate the variety of successful career paths for women and underrepresented groups within aviation, allowing imaginations to soar to new heights.”
Fly Like a Girl is JetBlue’s annual event that aims to promote interest in Science, Education, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) fields and reach future aviators as early as possible to showcase the various career possibilities in the aviation industry. The airline's commitment to diversity is focused on creating opportunities like Fly Like a Girl across its network. The JetBlue Foundation and JetBlue’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Corporate Social Responsibility teams share a common goal of ensuring more women are present in the hangars, airports, corporate offices and boardrooms of the future. Through leading by example, JetBlue’s Women in Flight CRG aims to foster and encourage girls to follow a STEM path.
JetBlue’s Fly Like a Girl event, held this year at Jetscape Services in Fort Lauderdale, offered girls access to different careers in the aviation industry and the opportunity to learn directly from women crewmembers. The girls not only had the opportunity to interact with women JetBlue crewmembers, but they were also able to board an Airbus A320 aircraft. Guests included students from JetBlue Foundation partner organizations and family members of JetBlue crewmembers. Participants were part of a series of experimental activities, briefings and professional panels with crewmembers from different branches of the airline including pilots, brand design managers, technical operators, and more.
For more information visit jetbluefoundation.org.
This event arrived on the heels of JetBlue’s recent announcement of plans for more low-fare, high-value flights in South and Central Florida. After its planned combination with Spirit, JetBlue expects to reach more than 250 flights a day at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and 200 in Orlando by 2027, including a long-awaited service between Fort Lauderdale and Tallahassee starting in January 2024. Since making Fort Lauderdale and Orlando JetBlue focus cities, the airline’s much-loved experience – with the most legroom in coach (a), free seatback entertainment, free Fly-Fi high-speed internet (b), free snacks, and friendly service – quickly positioned it as a preferred carrier in both regions. JetBlue has a long history of collaborating with Broward County and the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) on projects to grow and to improve the customer experience at each airport, as well as its surrounding communities to pave the way for continued growth in the region in the years to come.
