JetBlue to launch 2 new Fort Lauderdale routes, bring back 2 more
JetBlue is planning to do a lot more flying out of South Florida this winter.
The airline on Wednesday announced it's bringing back a couple of flights it cut last year out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). And, it's preparing to launch two all-new routes out of FLL in the process — one to the Gulf Coast of Florida, and another to the East Coast of Virginia.
That's on top of additional daily departures the New York-based carrier is planning out of its biggest Sunshine State airport, including more transcontinental flights featuring its premium Mint cabin.
JetBlue's 'immense change': First class, lounges and credit card highlight airline's pivot
2 all-new FLL routes
Headlining Wednesday's Fort Lauderdale expansion for JetBlue were two routes it has not previously flown out of its South Florida focus city.
In the coming months, the carrier will launch nonstop service to two southeast airports:
- Norfolk International Airport (ORF) in Virginia, with twice-daily service.
- Tampa International Airport (TPA), with daily nonstop intra-Florida service to the Gulf Coast airport less than 200 miles from FLL.
Both routes launch Dec. 4.
Bringing back 2 additional routes
Plus, JetBlue announced it will restore service to two Sun Belt airports that previously got caught up in cuts the airline made amid a larger network shakeup since early 2024: Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), with twice-daily service, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), with daily service.
The Austin route will return on Nov. 20, with Atlanta launching Dec. 4.
More flights, and Mint
On top of those new and restored routes, JetBlue is also dialing up daily departures from Fort Lauderdale to handful of major airports on the East and West Coasts.
Those include additional daily flights to:
- Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
- Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)
- Richmond International Airport (RIC) in Virginia
Meanwhile, passengers hoping to fly between the West Coast and South Florida in the carrier's premium cabin will have more options: JetBlue noted that it'll offer its lie-flat Mint accommodations on every FLL flight to LAS, LAX, PHX and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
Growing again in Fort Lauderdale
It's a notable scaling up of the airline's Fort Lauderdale footprint. Last winter, between October and March, JetBlue operated about 6.5% fewer departures than the year prior, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
But the carrier's FLL presence was on track to bounce back this winter, even prior to Wednesday's announcement.
"Fort Lauderdale has long been a key market for JetBlue, and we're excited to keep growing with the region," said Dave Jehn, JetBlue vice president, network planning and airline partnerships, in a statement announcing the news.
Fort Lauderdale was JetBlue's first-ever destination from its John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) home base — a notable stature for the airport during the airline's 25th anniversary year. In February, I was on board a commemorative anniversary flight between the two airports in celebration of the occasion.
Offer of the year: Earn up to 350K JetBlue TrueBlue points and Mosaic elite status for 25 years
Best ways to book JetBlue flights with points
Travelers hoping to book JetBlue flights with points have a few options:
- Book directly with TrueBlue points
- Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to JetBlue's TrueBlue loyalty program
- Some cardholders who have Citi ThankYou Rewards can also transfer to JetBlue
- Transfer Capital One miles to TrueBlue, though at a 5:3 ratio — so 10,000 Capital One miles would get you 6,000 TrueBlue points
- American Express Membership Rewards transfer to TrueBlue at a 250:200 ratio, so 10,000 Amex points would translate to 8,000 TrueBlue points.
United partner redemptions are coming
We should also point out that in the coming months, you'll be able to book JetBlue flights using United MileagePlus miles after the two carriers announced in May that they're teaming up in a new alliance called Blue Sky.
The partnership will allow JetBlue TrueBlue loyalists to earn and redeem points on United-operated flights, and vice versa. The two carriers have not announced a start date for the tie-up.
Related reading:
- When is the best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare?
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- What exactly are airline miles, anyway?
- 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
- Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
- The best credit cards to reach elite status
- What are points and miles worth? TPG's monthly valuations
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