(June 13, 2002) -- Kristy Ardizzone has been named Government and Community Affairs Manager, Western Region, for JetBlue Airways and has announced she is giving up her seat on LB City Hall's Airport Advisory Commission.

Ms. Ardizzone currently serves as Commission chair and made the surprise announcement at the end of today's Commission meeting.

Contacted shortly after the meeting by LBReport.com, Ms. Ardizzone told us:

"In my new position, my travel schedule requires that I be gone a great deal of the time. The Commission has come a long way...I look forward to working with the Mayor's new appointments."

Ms. Ardizzone also indicated she had advised the Mayor's office of her decision a few days earlier.

As previously reported by LBReport.com, JetBlue retained Ms. Ardizzone in late June, 2001 to serve as its "West Coast Opportunities Manager" as a consultant. That was not a formal "in-house" position...but Ms. Ardizzone's new JetBlue post is. She will be operating out of JetBlue's LB offices at LB Airport.

In May, 2001, JetBlue took all of LB Airport's then-vacant flight slots (27 out of 41) shortly after the City Council (without mentioning JetBlue) amended LB's flight slot allocation ordinance to let carriers hold slots for up to two years before flying them. JetBlue then announced plans to make LB Airport its de facto west coast hub.

At a May 24 LB Airport news conference, JetBlue CEO David Neeleman credited Ms. Ardizzone (in photo foreground, right, watching from the Airport tarmac) with helping convince JetBlue that LB "was the place to be."

The vacancy created by Ms. Ardizzone's departure (her last Commission meeting will be in July) adds to another vacancy created by Ken Velten who has asked not to be reappointed.

Appointees to City Hall's Airport Advisory Commission (which has no substantive legal powers and can only offer advice) are nominated by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council.