Just got word that JetBlue has asked the YearlyKos organizers to remove its name from the nutroots convention’s website. For its sponsorship deal, JetBlue apparently donated 10 travel vouchers to YearlyKos. I understand that there are no plans to revoke the vouchers. O’Reilly will be reacting to the decision tonight.

In a letter to O’Reilly, JetBlue says it is “an airline” not “a political organzation.” Glad to hear it.

Here is the standard e-mail response JetBlue CEO Dave Barger is now sending to folks who complain:

Thank you for contacting JetBlue with your comment. We have been surprised and disappointed that the donation of JetBlue travel (10 tickets total) to a bloggers convention has been misinterpreted as support and/or agreement with a politically centered website we have absolutely no connection with.

As a company we take no stand on any political issues save those directly related to air
transportation issues.

From my personal perspective the issue is quite straightforward. Our marketing team made a decision to donate 10 airline tickets to an annual convention of bloggers.
JetBlue was one of 23 groups to donate items and thus ’sponsor’ the YearlyKos convention. JetBlue will have no presence at the conference or any other involvement with the YearlyKos event. We have NO INVOLVEMENT with DailyKos or anything said or represented on that website.

Our workforce of roughly 11,000 consists of a huge variety of backgrounds and belief systems. I was personally completely unaware of the existence of DailyKos prior to news connecting the YearlyKos convention and thus our airline ticket donation to DailyKos. I personally have never condoned and abhor anything hateful towards anyone and am fully confident that JetBlue’s crewmembers share this view.

We certainly hope that the sweeping generalizations connecting JetBlue to a political stand will be recognized as exaggeration and with no basis in fact.

Dave Barger

CEO, JetBlue Airways