JetBlue is planning a dramatic salute to healthcare workers today, flying low over New York at 19:00 tomorrow. Three of the airline’s uniquely liveried New York-themed planes will conduct a low pass around the city, coinciding with the nightly ‘clap for carers’ movement, which New Yorkers support every evening.

JetBlue to join in the clap for carers movement

Clap for carers has become a massive movement around the world. Thursday evenings in the UK have seen millions of householders standing on their doorsteps applauding the great work of the NHS for weeks now, and the notion has taken off in the US too. In New York, people take to the streets every night at 19:00 to applaud the efforts of healthcare professionals and other key workers who are on the frontline of the battle against COVID-19.

In classic JetBlue style, the New York-headquartered airline wants to get in on the action. As such, it’s planning a low flyover tomorrow at 19:00, which will see three of the airline’s aircraft passing over the Big Apple during the evening clap.

And it’s not just any old JetBlue aircraft either. For this special mission, the airline is using its three New York-themed aircraft. One is the “I Heart Blue York,” branded in partnership with Empire State Development, another is the “Blue Finest,” dedicated to the New York Police Department, and the final one is “Blue Bravest,” which honors the Fire Department of the city.

The three aircraft will fly across New York in a circular convoy between 19:00 and 20:00 tomorrow. Joanna Geraghty, president, and chief operating officer at JetBlue commented on the move, saying,

“JetBlue’s mission of inspiring humanity is stronger now more than ever. We applaud the healthcare workers who are helping us get through this challenging time and inspiring humanity along the way. This is an opportunity for us to fly it forward and show our appreciation for the heroic efforts of medical professionals, first responders and public servants – not just here in our home of New York but around the country as well.”

No cost to JetBlue

These three aircraft will be operating the special honor flight at no cost to the airline. This is thanks to the support of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, JetBlue’s Air Line Pilots Association, a carbon offsetting scheme called CarbonFund.org and a jet fuel provider.

The airline says that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and New York City Emergency Management are also to be thanked for the impressive plans. Both have donated logistics support to make the mission happen.

Free flights for Healthcare Heroes

As well as honoring their community with the flypast, JetBlue is offering up free roundtrip flights for nominated ‘Healthcare Heroes.’ The airline will honor a staggering 100,000 healthcare workers with flight certificates for two to any JetBlue destination. It has already been flying healthcare workers for free, but now, in the future, is inviting them to take a free break too.

The airline says the award is open for nominations until the 15^th of May and invites all its customers to nominate the heroes in their own lives. These people can be anyone working in healthcare-related professions, from doctors to pharmacy workers to social workers and more.

For more information on how to nominate a Healthcare Hero, visit the page on JetBlue’s website.