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?
- The best airline credit cards
- 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
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month