As questions swirl about the way forward for Spirit Airways, JetBlue has been making an enormous push within the funds airline’s yard. And it might simply be getting began.
Final week, JetBlue introduced a significant growth at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Worldwide Airport (FLL), ramping up service to Latin America and a handful of U.S. cities — together with a slew of routes Spirit serves.
Anticipate to see extra the place that got here from. “The wager we have made in [Fort] Lauderdale is a reasonably large wager,” JetBlue president Marty St. George stated, talking final week at an business convention. “And we have now extra stuff to come back.”
Thus far this 12 months, JetBlue has added 17 new routes out of FLL, and bolstered its flying to a dozen different cities. That features a considerably bigger presence within the Caribbean, Central America and South America.
All it’s important to do is take a look at a map to see the expansion — take a look at what JetBlue’s worldwide route map out of FLL appeared like in January 2025, as proven by Cirium.
This is what it’s going to seem like come January 2026 — St. Maarten, Honduras, Colombia, Aruba, Costa Rica, you identify it.
That southward growth is not over.
“There are a number of locations south of Fort Lauderdale that we would prefer to fly,” St. George stated, addressing the Morgan Stanley Laguna Convention in California on Sept. 11.
All advised, the airline expects to develop its departures out of Fort Lauderdale this winter by 38%, per Cirium knowledge.
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And the provider sees the airport, going ahead, because the southeast counterpart to its massive hubs in New York and Boston — a 3rd “tentpole,” as St. George put it, to enhance John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) and Boston Logan Worldwide Airport (BOS).
Alternatives in Fort Lauderdale
That JetBlue is again to main development someplace exterior the Northeast is notable, after 2024 noticed the provider pull again considerably in different elements of the nation as a part of a collection of maneuvers meant to return the corporate to profitability.
The timing of the provider’s Fort Lauderdale strikes, although, isn’t any coincidence. JetBlue has lengthy wished extra gates at FLL.
The airport’s prime provider — Spirit Airways — is now embroiled in chapter 11 chapter for the second time in lower than a 12 months (and fewer than two years after its deliberate merger with JetBlue got here to a halt). Spirit has raised considerations about its long-term monetary viability, and lately started slashing flights from its community — opening up gate house in Fort Lauderdale within the course of.
“As our greatest competitor there has began to [cut back] and fortunately open up some gate capability for us,” St. George stated, “we’re benefiting from it.”
So produce other rivals. United Airways lately introduced a large Florida growth, and Spirit’s low-cost competitor Frontier Airways will develop its wintertime departures out of FLL by 40%, Cirium knowledge reveals.
Earlier this month, Spirit advised TPG the community strikes by different airways amounted to “wishful considering” by opponents hoping to place the Dania Seaside-based provider out of enterprise.
Whatever the motives, JetBlue and others sense an enormous development alternative — maybe a once-in-a-decade probability — to make an enormous push in Fort Lauderdale, now maybe one of many airline business’s greatest flashpoints within the 12 months forward.
“We’re excited to welcome the brand new routes and/or elevated flight frequency that current carriers have introduced lately,” the Broward County Aviation Division, which oversees FLL, advised TPG in an announcement, noting the rise in “handy and cost-effective methods to go to and revel in these locations” for enterprise and leisure vacationers alike.
FAQ: Spirit Airways’ chapter and the way it would possibly have an effect on your journey
JetBlue’s future plans in Europe
On prime of including new short-haul worldwide routes to Latin America, JetBlue can also be dropping hints about its future long-haul worldwide flights to Europe.
It was solely 4 years in the past the provider launched its first transatlantic flights to London. Then got here Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin, Edinburgh and Madrid. However whereas JetBlue is not ruling out one other European vacation spot, it’s anticipating its quick development trajectory throughout the pond to stage off.
The provider is barely slated to obtain two extra planes able to reaching Europe between now and 2031: “We’re nearly reaching the primary plateau of transatlantic development,” St. George stated.
Nonetheless, the provider stays bullish on its still-burgeoning Europe service.
That is very true after the provider started pulling again (some) on its transatlantic flights in the course of the wintertime, as an alternative deploying these planes — geared up with its spiffiest Mint cabin — to widespread warm-weather and snowboarding locations.
“That steadiness of excellent solar markets within the winter, after which the European markets in the summertime and fall, has made for a really, excellent revenue portfolio for us,” St. George stated.
Doubling down on premium Europe service
JetBlue’s long-haul Europe service will get a premium infusion on the bottom later this 12 months when the provider unveils its first airport lounge at JFK, providing entry to its Mint passengers taking these flights.
A second outpost will open subsequent 12 months at BOS.
Whereas the lounges will cater to JetBlue’s high-paying vacationers flying to Europe, there shall be different methods for patrons to realize entry. The airline will provide membership entry to top-tier Mosaic 4 elite standing members, and TrueBlue loyalists who carry the provider’s new premium bank card.
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