JetBlue is making a major investment in South Florida, positioning itself to capture travelers after Spirit Airlines’ shutdown.
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Beginning Thursday, the airline will offer 55 nonstop destinations from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty calls it a “generational opportunity” for the airline.
“We’re going to be at 130 flights this week,” Geraghty said. “When you compare that to where we were last year, we were at about 70 flights. So we’re almost double where we were last year.”
JetBlue’s connection to Fort Lauderdale dates back to its very first flight in 2000, which operated between New York’s JFK Airport and Fort Lauderdale. By the end of the year, the airline expects to grow to 150 daily departures from the airport.
The expansion also means more travel options for customers. JetBlue says it has nearly doubled its destinations, offering close to 400 connecting itineraries from Fort Lauderdale, including expanded service to Latin America.
“We’re really looking forward to continuing to grow places like Colombia,” Geraghty said. “We’re the largest airline in Puerto Rico.”
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The announcement comes after the failed attempt to merge JetBlue and Spirit Airlines. The proposed merger was blocked by the federal government before Spirit ultimately shut down operations.
Geraghty believes that decision had lasting consequences.
“The airline industry is incredibly complex, and I think the government was very short-sighted in blocking the JetBlue-Spirit merger,” she said. “Unfortunately, that decision has led to a situation where many people don’t have jobs, and South Florida now has one less airline.”
Despite industry challenges, Geraghty says JetBlue remains committed to keeping fares competitive. However, she acknowledged that rising fuel and labor costs continue to put pressure on ticket prices.
“Fuel and labor are our two biggest costs,” she said. “We need to make sure we cover those costs while remaining a sustainable enterprise.”
Industry experts say the struggles facing low-cost airlines are not unique to Spirit.
“Low-cost carriers have been really struggling for the past several years,” said Clint Henderson, managing editor at The Points Guy. “Unfortunately, when a low-cost carrier goes away, the major airlines tend to raise prices, and consumers lose those lower-fare options.”
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