JetBlue adds 5 routes, 2 new international destinations

JetBlue is expanding its presence in the Caribbean and Latin America, introducing a slew of new routes.

The New York-based carrier is boosting its offerings in key focus cities such as New York, Boston, Orlando and Los Angeles, and it's giving travelers more options for escaping to warm-weather destinations. All of the new flights are already available for purchase as of June 6.

From New York, JetBlue will connect John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) with St. Kitts and Nevis, with flights to Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport (SKB) beginning Nov. 2. Service will operate three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Additionally, the airline will start flying between JFK and Belize's Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport (BZE) beginning Dec. 6 with three-time weekly flights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Both of these destinations are new to the JetBlue route map and will certainly appeal to travelers based in the New York City area since nonstop flights from the region to St. Kitts and Belize have historically been pretty limited.

Furthermore, JetBlue will add two new Saturday-only routes to the Caribbean, both beginning Nov. 4.

The first will depart from Boston and land on the Caribbean island of Grenada, and the second will depart from Los Angeles and land in the Bahamas.

Both of these flights will be operated by Mint-equipped Airbus A321 aircraft, giving flyers a lie-flat option in markets that previously didn't have such a premium offering.

During the week, JetBlue's Mint-equipped planes are usually shuttling flyers between the coasts, but the airline likes to use these jets on weekends to fly to the Caribbean when premium transcontinental demand is lower.

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Finally, JetBlue will add a new daily domestic route between Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) on Nov. 2. This service will boost JetBlue's presence in its key Orlando focus city, but it'll go head-to-head against a handful of airlines, including Avelo Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Southwest Airlines.

Interestingly, JetBlue didn't mention its Northeast Alliance with American Airlines in its press release announcing the new routes. In the past, the airline has referenced the tie-up as part of its growing presence in the New York area, but the alliance was recently blocked by a federal judge and must end within 30 days of May 19, pending an appeal or extension.

With these additions, JetBlue will soon operate in 27 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, furthering its strategy of offering leisure-focused service to tourists and those visiting friends and family.

These new flights should also be a boon to Belize and St. Kitts and Nevis. The former isn't served from JFK by any other airline, so this new route will open a travel corridor just in time for the holidays.

American Airlines and United Airlines currently fly between New York and St. Kitts and Nevis, but only on a once-weekly basis during the peak winter season.

St. Kitts is home to one of Hyatt's most popular Park Hyatt resorts, which will soon be within reach much more frequently for New Yorkers thanks to the new JetBlue service.

With plenty of award availability, I'm already looking forward to booking JetBlue for a long weekend getaway to St. Kitts and returning to one of my favorite Hyatt properties in the Caribbean.

Related: The complete guide to the JetBlue TrueBlue program