Jetblue Airways Corporation 401(k) Review & Grade
Jetblue Airways Retirement Plan
Long Island City, NYTransportation & Warehousing23,671 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$10,199Employer $ per active participant
$6,589Employee $ saved per active participant
0.03%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$5.4BNet plan assets, end of year
$202,787Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity46.7 / 5093th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost20.8 / 2583th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving11.0 / 1573th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features0 / 10No auto-enrollment or default investment reported
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score76 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Transportation & Warehousing plans with 10,000+ active participants (46 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 93th |
| Lower admin cost | 83th |
| Employee saving | 73th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 30% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $7,658 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Jetblue Airways put in about $10,199 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($1,415). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $241,427,260 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $155,974,086 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $9,781,381 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $1,532,794 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $120,354 |
| Other admin expenses | $7,800 |
| Benefits paid out | $284,360,809 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $4.6B / $5.4B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 24,253 / 23,089 |
| Participants with account balances | 26,861 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Bdo USA, P.C. |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Empower Life & Annuity Insurance Co | $1,266,296 reported compensation |
| Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP | $138,345 reported compensation |
| Mercer Investment Consulting Inc | $120,354 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251015150255NAL0002627475001, received 2025-10-15, EIN 87-0617894, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.