Earlier today, American low-cost carrier JetBlue announced services between Fort Lauderdale and Tallahassee, a route that has been desired for a long time. The airline also announced major expansion plans in Florida.
Expanding from Florida
In recent weeks, headlines surrounding JetBlue have not been positive, with reports stating that the DOJ is looking to block the merger with Spirit Airlines. Further reports indicated that it would have to give up the Northeast Alliance with American Airlines for the merger to go through. Today, JetBlue made an exciting announcement of a new route and expansion plans in Florida.
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Starting in January 2024, the New York City-based airline will connect Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood International Airport (FLL) with Tallahassee International Airport (TLH). Passengers have requested the route connecting the two Florida cities for a long time, and in less than a year, the wish will come to fruition.
Tallahassee, the capital of Florida, is an important city for business and education. Its distance from South Florida makes it difficult to drive quickly. Because of this, JetBlue plans to launch daily services connecting FLL with TLH next year.
"I am proud to welcome JetBlue to Florida's capital city! Tallahassee is thriving, and this exciting news is another example of the many great things coming to fruition around our growing community and at the Tallahassee International Airport. The addition of JetBlue is the result of long-term, focused planning efforts and investments at TLH to expand air service in a way that brings value to our community.” - John Dailey, Mayor, Tallahassee.
Though recent news surrounding the Spirit-JetBlue merger has signaled that attempts will be made to stop it, today's announcement from JetBlue counts on the merger being approved. After the planned merger, JetBlue may reach 250 daily flights from FLL by 2027. JetBlue has already solidified its commitment to building a new terminal 5 at FLL, with added gates solely for JetBlue.
“As a customer-centric alternative to the high-fare legacy airline that dominates South Florida, we have achieved rapid growth in Fort Lauderdale and are ready to turbocharge further expansion once we combine with Spirit." Robin Hayes, Chief Executive Officer, JetBlue
Hayes added he believes that JetBlue will be able to challenge the big four American carriers and increase competition in the Florida market.
Flights to Europe
Spirit and JetBlue have seen high success rates in Fort Lauderdale, and JetBlue believes that its potential increases significantly by joining forces with Spirit.
In today's announcement, JetBlue stated its intentions to fly to Europe from Florida.
"With a more competitive position in South Florida, JetBlue would plan to launch service between Fort Lauderdale and Europe with its game-changing transatlantic Mint and core experiences that have brought down high fares for European travel."
Such flights would be made possible by the Airbus A321XLR, which JetBlue has on order. It is unclear when JetBlue will receive its first XLRs, but Airbus hopes the type will enter into service in 2024.