JetBlue takes aim at Spirit in 9-route Fort Lauderdale expansion; adds new South America city
JetBlue is making a big push in South Florida, where it will add a host of routes from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) later this year.
The New York-based carrier's expansion unveiled Wednesday includes the return of several international destinations from the airport — and some it's never served from Fort Lauderdale. Among them: Cali, Colombia, an all-new destination for JetBlue.
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As part of this Sunshine State expansion, the carrier will also bring back its FLL flights to Cartagena, Colombia; Aruba; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and St. Maarten. It'll also connect FLL travelers to Costa Rica's Guanacaste Province for the first time. And, JetBlue revealed it will boost its flight offerings on nine additional routes spanning domestic, Mexico, Caribbean and Central America destinations.
It's the latest in a series of expansions JetBlue has announced at FLL in recent months, doubling down on the airport as a key area of focus after the carrier in 2024 pulled back on its flying in other parts of the country.
Even prior to Wednesday's announcement, the carrier's total departures out of FLL during the final quarter of 2025 were on track to be up nearly 6% over last year, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Going after Spirit?
Where JetBlue decided to add or bolster its service in Wednesday's announcement can't be overlooked, either.
JetBlue overlaps with top Fort Lauderdale competitor Spirit Airlines on 16 of the 18 new, returning or boosted routes it announced Wednesday. That comes as Spirit faces a precarious financial situation: The Dania Beach, Florida-based budget airline is now embroiled in Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in less than a year, and has already begun slashing flights from its schedule.
While JetBlue did not make mention of Spirit — which it once sought to merge with — the company did note its increased strength at FLL:
"As the top airline in Fort Lauderdale, with more departures than any other carrier on peak travel days, JetBlue is proud to keep raising the bar for customers in South Florida," said Dave Jehn, JetBlue's vice president of network planning and airline partnerships, in a statement announcing Wednesday's expansion.
Related: United Airlines adds flights in case Spirit fails
JetBlue's 9 new routes from FLL
Here's the full rundown of JetBlue's nine new and returning flights from Fort Lauderdale.
You'll see the return of several routes the carrier flew earlier this decade, along with some destinations the airline hasn't previously served from the airport.
| Route | Launch date | Details |
|---|---|---|
FLL to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport (CLO) near Cali, Colombia | Not yet announced | All-new route and destination for JetBlue. |
FLL to Aruba's Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA) | Dec. 4 | Three times weekly.
Last flown regularly in 2022. |
FLL to Cartagena's Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG) | Dec. 4 | Four times weekly.
Last flown in 2022. |
FLL to Grand Cayman's Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) | Dec. 4 | Three times weekly.
Last flown in 2022. |
FLL to Liberia, Costa Rica's Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) | Dec. 4 | Daily service.
All-new route. |
FLL to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) | Nov. 1 | Twice daily.
Last flown in 2024. |
FLL to Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) | Nov. 1 | Daily service.
Last flown in 2021. |
FLL to Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport (SAP) in San Pedro Sula, Honduras | Dec. 4 | Four times weekly.
All-new route. |
FLL to Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) in St. Maarten | Dec. 4 | Four times weekly.
Last flown in 2022. |
Bolstering service on other routes
On top of the new and returning routes announced from FLL on Wednesday, JetBlue also said it will bolster its flying on a host of additional domestic and short-haul international flights.
Those include FLL service to the following nine cities:
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Cancun
- Hartford
- Kingston, Jamaica
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- San Jose, Costa Rica
- San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic
Booking JetBlue flights with points
All of these flights can of course be booked using JetBlue's TrueBlue points.
Members without enough points in their loyalty account can transfer flexible rewards from several major programs. Those include:
- Chase Ultimate Rewards (points transfer at a 1:1 ratio)
- Capital One (5:3 ratio)
- American Express Membership Rewards (250:200 ratio)
- Citi ThankYou Rewards (1:1, or 5:4 for cards that earn limited ThankYou points)
Related: JetBlue retires its smallest plane
Florida focus
JetBlue's increased Florida focus goes beyond more flights out of Fort Lauderdale. The carrier earlier this year announced a new partnership with private rail operator Brightline, allowing passengers to book air-and-rail connections in the Sunshine State.
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