This week we visit Austin! Cue Home on The Range:

Ok, we know- Austin is a hip, metropolitan area. You won’t see much in the way of tumbleweed and chewin’ tobacco like you might in other parts of The Lone Star state. Where else besides Austin, though, can you go to an authentic, gay cowboy night?

The capital of Texas, Austin is the 4th largest city in the state, the 15th largest in the U.S. and was voted the “least stressful” city by Forbes Magazine. It’s a great gateway city to the South and one of the most creative and open-minded. An unofficial, but widely-used slogan for the city is “keep Austin weird.”

Austin is known for its love of its local businesses and, in keeping with that spirit, there are no national chains at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, offers Inflight Crewmember, Gillian. You’ll only find local businesses, like Austin Java, Maudie’s Tex-Mex, Amy’s Ice Cream, and the world famous Salt Lick BBQ (and don’t miss the “divine deliciousness” of the Blackberry cobbler for dessert!). While you’re in the airport, suggests Airport Operations Crewmember, Suzie, there is live music almost daily next to the Ray Benson’s Roadhouse located in the center of the terminal building on the concourse level.

If you can tear yourself away from the good eats and sounds at the airport and head into the city, Manager Regional Marketing, Jennie, suggests you start your day at Jo’s Coffee on Congress St. “The coffee is fantastic,” she offers, “and you can sit outside while enjoying both the weather and people watching.” You can then rent a canoe or kayak from Zilker Boats and spend a few hours exploring Lady Bird Lake.

Airports Crewmember, Laura, recommends a stop by Allen’s boots for “the biggest, most eye-popping display of cowboy boots.”  With more 4,000 boots on display, many like works of art, you can get a taste for the real South while immersed in the hip neighborhood of South Congress. The area, described by some as “Woodstock meets Vegas,” is also home to lots of other fun shops and places to eat.

Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Cap Metro) offer Dillos (trolleys) which are free to ride, relays Inflight Crewmember, Sherri. You can catch these trolleys at several downtown locations. The city of Austin also voted for the upcoming MetroRail, currently in the testing stage, which will provide transportation relief for those living outside the downtown areas.

Corporate Communications Crewmember, Alison, recommends you check out some of the city’s most aesthetically-pleasing hotels (if you can’t stay there, you can always stop by for a quick look or to grab a drink or a meal) including the historic Driskill and the modern San Jose.

Austin refers to itself as “The Live Music Capital of the World” because of the incredible number of musicians and live music venues. Next week, the population of live musicians will increase even more as the South by Southwest Music, Film, and Interactive festival comes to town bringing in up and coming musicians, film makers and tech luminaries to the 10 day festival. Inflight Crewmember, Gillian, also offers up an insider tip about Sixth Street, which was famous for its live music but has become a tourist trap. “If you want to hang out where the locals do and hear the up-and-coming bands Austin is famous for,” she offers, “head down Red River Street (perpendicular to Sixth Street). The best venues are Emo’s, the Mohawk, Beauty Bar, Beerland and Stubb’s.”

Austin has one of the youngest average populations in the country and is home to a great number of technology companies, offers Corporate Communications Crewmember, Morgan. So much so, in fact, that flights to Austin from other tech capitals like San Francisco are often dubbed “Nerd Birds” by the customers that fly them regularly.

Airport Operations Crewmember, Suzie, shares her favorite Austin spot, natural swimming hole and nature preserve, The Hamilton Pool.  “It is a collapsed grotto and an easy 30 minute drive from the airport,” she offers. “Come check it out!” If you don’t want to travel that far from the city, McKinney Falls is another great spot, and is just five minutes from the airport.

For a true once-in-a-lifetime experience, Inflight Crewmembers Sherri and K direct visitors to The Congress Avenue Bridge over the Colorado River near downtown (the Four Seasons is to one side and a downtown is to the other). If you stand on this bridge at dusk, you will catch sight of “the home to America’s largest urban Mexican free-tailed bat population” pouring out from under the bridge and up the river into the turning night’s sky. “It is such a fast and furious flow of so many bats that it appears as if they are just one continuous long black apparition; and the sound of their wings flapping in unison is like an eerie operetta!” offers K.

Customer Support Crewmember, Francine, recommends that sports fans check out the Longhorns (and, as the official sponsor in the airline category, we tend to agree!). Representing 20 different sports, there’s something for everyone!

With more than a handful of our flights leaving for Austin daily from New York’s JFK, San Francisco, Long Beach, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale, there’s little reason not to check out this gem city. For more great tips on what to do in Austin, check out our CityBlog, Jet Austin, authored by local writer, Spike Gillespie.

Be sure to check back next Tuesday for the next stop on our BlueCity tour, Fort Lauderdale/Miami!

Do you have any great Austin travel tips to share? Leave them in the comments below, or Tweet them using the hashtag #TTAUS.

You can find the A5 in the T5 Marketplace, near the low grandstand, next to the engine. The A5 will be displayed on a stand, with its wings folded most of the time (primarily for safety reasons). Video screens and an interactive kiosk will be available for customers to learn more about the aircraft and see it in flight.

The ICON A5 is amphibious, seats two, and has folding wings that allow it be trailered like a wakeboard boat. It was created by an unprecedented collaboration between expert automotive designers and some of the best aviation engineers in the world. The public response since its launch has been humbling; numerous tv appearances including The Today Show, Discovery Channel and CNBC; numerous magazines including the cover of Popular Science, a feature story in Wired, and the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book; and numerous design awards including the prestigious IDEA Gold Award. Most telling are the 371 orders, totaling over $55 million, and selling out the first two years of production.

ICON Aircraft is raising a large round of capital this spring for manufacturing setup on the A5.

You can learn about the A5 on ICON’S website at iconaircraft.com

That being said, we do feel for those that lose possessions (who hasn’t done that before?) and make clear that all items we find are delivered to the lost and found at our respective BlueCities.

Crewmember Brian started in September 2007 as an Analyst in Revenue Management and worked his way up and over to Finance as a Senior Analyst of Financial Planning and Analysis. He is proud to have been on the TrueBlue 2.0 re-launch team from its inception and to have seen the whole project through. He was also able to work on the EML as well as the buy-on-board planning. He especially has enjoyed his time working on the broader approach in the financial planning sector.

Brian (far right) at a Yankees game this past fall with a business partner (far left) and members of the Corp Finance team

After studying during college and then graduate school in Milan, Brian met his future wife in Italy and has always had an eye on traveling to new and different places. He endured numerous, rigorous testing before he was able to qualify for a position with the State Department and will undergo many more weeks (up to 42!) of training, first in Washington D.C., and then on-site, wherever he is deployed to on the globe, where he will receive language and cultural training. His first picks for relocation are Eastern Europe, East Asia, and South America, respectively. He has no choice, though, but to go where he is sent. His job will include much of the work that he did for us, only this time he will be visiting consulates and embassies, working with local people to oversee trade and budget case analysis.

Brian’s fondest memories here include Fun Day at Chelsea piers and the Darien Olympics, which he took part in. He appreciates the mobility at JetBlue and the ability to move between departments, which he says, “really allows for professional development.” He acknowledged that the skills he acquired working here will surely aid in the next steps on his career path.

“At JetBlue I have had the opportunity to develop both personally and professionally,” offers Brian. “It is an experience that I will never forget.”

Brian’s last day is March 19. We thank Brian for his service and wish him the best of luck on the next leg of his journey!

The Pope announced at a meeting in the Vatican this past weekend that the body scanners violate “personal integrity” and that he does not believe they should be used. While he acknowledges the challenges the industry faces with regard to safety, he says that nothing should come in the way of, “respect for the primacy of the person.”

In a separate incident, a Muslim woman was not allowed to board her flight when she refused to go through the body scanner, claiming that it infringed on her religious beliefs. She- and her friend who also refused- are believed to be the first people to say no to the new security protocol.

As the number of these machines increase around the world in the coming months, it is unclear just how much resistance it will be met with. Human rights groups, like the ACLU, are already heading up efforts to combat this new technology, arguing that the potential for abuse extends far beyond just basic rights to privacy issues.

Read the original story about airport screening technology on B6BLOG.

Image courtesty of MJTR on Flickr

As if Japan Airlines hasn’t had enough trouble already this year, with bankruptcy and about fifty different- though no definitive- plans for its salvation, the airline now has the strangest of dilemmas on their hands. Apparently a hot commodity, their crewmembers uniforms are finding their way onto the black market and appearing on the bodies of a whole different type of service industry- at strip clubs in Japan! Uniforms can sell for thousands of dollars and the airline is doing all they can to contain this virile interest in their attire. Of course, only crewmembers are supposed to have access to the uniforms. It is unclear how they are being sold or where the problem originated from. Perhaps not the ideal venue, Japan Airlines should nonetheless keep in mind that imitation is the highest form of flattery.

Chile experienced an 8.8 earthquake, with devastating damage incurred, including to the airport in Santiago.  Thankfully, the quake’s epicenter was over the sea and not on land and the country has a stronger infrastructure than Haiti, so Chile didn’t experience nearly as catastrophic an event as did Haiti several weeks prior. And speaking of breaking ground, JFK’s Bay Runway closure is near the top of this week’s worthy news items. This week Monday began a four-month-long project to repave and revamp JFK’s busiest runway. The biggest airlines at JFK (that’s us!) have agreed to reduce flight schedules to help minimize the impact the closure will likely have on Customers and June should bring a brand-spanking new runway that reduce delays by 10,000 hours, according to the Port Authority.

To be very blunt, the remaining news for the week threatens to cause ennui. Continental Airlines will be charging for extra legroom on their flights (been there, done that), some Canadians are crossing the border for cheaper flights in the U.S. (not nearly as exciting news as their clampdown on peanuts), Vancouver saw its busiest day as folks fled the scene following the closing ceremonies of the Olympics (it’s fair to say that a busy day in Vancouver is a cakewalk for JFK…but no bitterness! We are huge Vancouver fans here, even though we don’t yet fly there!), and former security chief at Chicago’s O’Hare is suing because he doesn’t think safety and training standards are up to snuff.

And to stick with the theme of snoring, good ole Sully is ready to hang his badge and embrace afternoon catnaps on the La-Z-Boy. After 30 years of flying, Captain Sully is retiring.

As always, be safe and have a great weekend!

For us here at JetBlue, this might not be a very big deal. We all know Dave has a preferred carrier to travel around with, and it’s got a blue belly, TVs in every seat, and great Crewmembers delivering a great experience. Just ask a Crewmember to imagine a JetBlue episode of Undercover Boss and you’ll likely get a laugh. Our leadership is always visiting stations and meeting with Crewmembers – and that visibility is important to our Customers too.

Darryl got a chance to ask to ask Dave some questions as he was deplaning and blogged about the very idea of visible leadership on his site, Brandflakes for Breakfast (yes, we’re blogging about a blog about us). We’re all responsible for the reputation of our brand and we’re proud that Dave is out there showing our Customers that we can all “be in blue”