JetBlue begins nonstop JFK to Vancouver service

JetBlue has expanded its international footprint to the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Europe in recent years. Now it has added nonstop service to Canada.

Thursday evening, JetBlue completed its first flight from New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Vancouver (YVR).

JetBlue's vice president of network planning called the expansion to Canada an "important milestone" for the airline, which now flies to more than two dozen countries.

The service will include an evening westbound flight from JFK to Vancouver, with a red-eye flight eastbound. The westbound trip is scheduled to depart New York at 6:59 p.m. and land in Vancouver at 10:26 p.m. (PT). The overnight trip back east is at 11:30 p.m. (PT), arriving at JFK at 7:48 a.m.

This expansion in service currently is Vancouver's only link to JFK, but although the airport does have service to New York area airports. You can get to Newark/Liberty International Airport (EWR) from Vancouver on United Airlines and Air Canada, according to the airport's destination map.

Related: Reviewing JetBlue's business class from London to New York

Deals on flights

JetBlue marked the occasion by offering some pretty good deals to the British Columbia city for later this year with $119 one-way fares for some late summer and early fall trips. That was a limited time offer that seems to have disappeared already, but keep an eye out -- some of the prices in September, for instance, aren't too high above that, and certainly are better than what you'd pay for a round trip in July or August.

Northeast Alliance impact

JetBlue mentioned the strengthening of its Northeast Alliance as a major reason this service will help travelers, and that certainly could be the case for American Airlines flyers looking for a direct link to British Columbia.

You can now go on the American website and book travel on board the new nonstop JetBlue flights. That includes award travel. Like with the JetBlue cash fares, it's pretty expensive through the summer months (80,000 to 100,000 miles round trip in many cases) but you can get a round trip in September for the standard award chart fare of 25,000 miles AAdvantage miles round trip. I found one such option the weekend after Labor Day – a nice opportunity to visit the city before things start to cool off too much.

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Where to stay

Looking at that same weekend in September, the best redemption I could find on points was at a World of Hyatt property right in the heart of downtown Vancouver.

The Hyatt Regency Vancouver goes for $299 per night, or you can get it for 15,000 points, which TPG values at about $255. Not a mind-boggling redemption, but, hey, not terrible, either.

I didn't find too many Marriott Bonvoy points redemptions worth trying that weekend, but you can get a room at several properties downtown for around $300 per night.

Personally, I'd probably go with the Marriott Vancouver Pinnacle Downtown for $298 per night, which looks to have the feel of a classic, city center Marriott.

Related: Booking the perfect Northwest summer vacation with points and miles

Bottom line

JetBlue's new, nonstop service between JFK and Vancouver is just the latest example of the airline expanding its footprint beyond the U.S.

In addition to simply meaning more seats between the two regions, the Northeast Alliance means it's also an opportunity for American Airlines AAdvantage members to book the nonstop flights with their miles.