By Philip Newman
Forest Hills-based airline JetBlue has appointed a former FBI anti-terrorist official as the airline’s vice president in charge of security.
Ken Maxwell, who spent 23 years with the FBI, was most recently in charge of the counter terrorism branch of the New York City FBI office.
“With safety and security as our top priorities, JetBlue has been quick and innovative in responding to the changes and challenges in airline security following Sept. 11,” said Dave Barger, JetBlue president and chief operating officer. “Ken brings a wealth of experience that is not only invaluable in this new environment but also complements the skills of the excellent security team that we already have at JetBlue.”
Maxwell joined the FBI in 1979 as an original member of the Joint Terrorist Task Force.
He was the ranking FBI official responsible for the TWA Flight 800 crash investigation. He served in the U.S. Army military police and joined the New York State Office of the Special Prosecutor as a special audit investigator and served as a New York state trooper.
JetBlue was among the first airlines to install reinforced cockpit doors and hidden cockpit cameras following Sept. 11.
JetBlue is a low-fare airline that flies a fleet of Airbus A320 jetliners equipped with television at every seat.
The airline flies from John F. Kennedy International Airport to points in Florida and to Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse, N.Y., Long Beach, Oakland and Ontario, Calf., Burlington, Vt., Denver, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Salt Lake City, Seattle and San Juan, P.R. It also operates flights from Washington Dulles airport to Florida to West Coast points.
