Oakland International Airport Congratulates Low-Cost Airlines of the Year Norwegian and JetBlue

Oakland, CA – January 27, 2014 – Oakland International Airport (OAK) congratulates two of its airline partners -- Norwegian and JetBlue – which were recently named “Best Low-Cost Airline of the Year for 2014” in Europe and the Americas, respectively, by the trusted airline product ratings website AirlineRatings.com.

"OAK is proud to soon be the only Bay Area airport served by both of these top-ranked, innovative carriers that have each earned a strong reputation for finding that perfect mix of service quality and value,” said Deborah Ale Flint, Director of Aviation for the Port of Oakland, which operates OAK. “We congratulate our partners at both Norwegian and JetBlue on this well-deserved honor.”

Norwegian, Europe’s third-largest and fastest-growing low-cost carrier--and the first to introduce long-haul, low-cost service—will make its San Francisco Bay Area debut in May with the launch of nonstop flights between OAK and both Stockholm, Sweden, and Oslo, Norway. Norwegian’s transatlantic service will be operated with the ultra-efficient new Boeing 787 aircraft, which raises the bar for onboard comfort with LED mood lighting, leather seats, an advanced in-flight entertainment system and higher cabin pressurization and humidity. For more information regarding how Norwegian is revolutionizing long-distance travel, visit http://www.norwegian.com/longdistancerevolution.

JetBlue Airways, which has served OAK since 2000, currently flies nonstop from Oakland to New York, Long Beach and Washington, D.C., with seasonal summer service to Boston. JetBlue offers customers amenities including a first checked bag free of charge, unlimited complimentary in-flight snacks and non-alcoholic beverages, and a live in-flight entertainment system with 36 channels of free DIRECTV programming and more than 100 channels of free XM Satellite Radio at every leather seat – which offer the most legroom in economy class of any U.S. airline.

For more information about AirlineRatings.com and to read the original news release, visit http://www.airlineratings.com/news/205/worlds-best-airlines-awarded-by-airlineratings.

About the Port of Oakland:
The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland seaport and Oakland International Airport. The Port's jurisdiction includes 20 miles of waterfront from the Bay Bridge through Oakland International Airport. The Oakland seaport is the fifth busiest container port in the U.S.; Oakland International Airport is the second largest San Francisco Bay Area airport offering over 300 daily passenger and cargo flights; and the Port’s real estate includes commercial developments such as Jack London Square and hundreds of acres of public parks and conservation areas. Together, through Port operations and those of its tenants and users, the Port supports more than 73,000 jobs in the region and nearly 827,000 jobs across the United States. The Port of Oakland was established in 1927 and is an independent department of the City of Oakland. Connect with the Port of Oakland and Oakland International Airport through Facebook, or with the Port on Twitter, YouTube, and at www.portofoakland.com.