My Kind of Fare (Promotion Is)
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

JetBlue Airways, in a provocative pricing stunt that recalls the 1980s glory days of People Express, announced yesterday that it would offer $36 fares from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to that toddlin’ town, Chicago.
Natives of the Chicagoland area greeted the news with as much enthusiasm as they do every time a steaming plate of knockwursts, bratwursts, and kielbasy passes under their noses.
“This is great news,” a native of Chicago’s fashionable North Shore, Chris Carrigan, said in reaction to the announcement. “I welcome any opportunity to visit my buddies in New York City for just $36.”
The company is billing the $36 ticket as an “introductory fare” for would-be passengers who make reservations by — and get ready for this kicker — today. The fare is valid for travel to and from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport from January 4, the first day of the new route, to February 15.
After today, regular fares to and from the Windy City will range between $89 and $249, according to JetBlue.
Always-sharp New Yorkers did not miss the fact that under the terms of JetBlue’s special $36 fare, it is cheaper to fly to Chicago than it is to take a taxi cab from Midtown Manhattan to JFK.
People Express, which also offered no-frills flights at discount prices, declared bankruptcy in the twilight of the 1980s after larger carriers undercut and outlasted its cheap fares in an infamous pricing war that made for one of the most widely read case studies in business school history.