4 New Markets in Focus Cities, Florida, the Caribbean and Latin America and on Cross-Country Routes Will Connect Diverse Sets of Destinations and Accelerate JetBlue’s Cash Generation Efforts
JetBlue Continues Commitment to Travel Flexibility by Extending its Go Back and Forth with Confidence Initiative Through February 28, 2021
JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) today announced it will launch 24 new routes later this year aimed at immediately generating cash and capturing traffic on a variety of new, nonstop routes – many never flown before by the airline. Each route plays to JetBlue’s strengths in the airline’s focus cities, in Florida, in Latin American and the Caribbean or on cross-country – or transcontinental – flying. Every market has been uniquely identified as one in which JetBlue anticipates increasing demand for leisure travel. All new flights take off in November and December with seats on sale today.
JetBlue Adds Two Dozen New Routes in Markets with Strengthened Demand Potential (Photo: Business Wire)
“This is the latest example of JetBlue’s ability to be nimble and play offense as we quickly adjust to new customer behaviors and booking patterns,” said Scott Laurence, head of revenue and planning, JetBlue. “This latest series of new routes – even in the current environment – advances our revised network strategy, returns more aircraft to the skies and doubles down on our ability to generate more cash sooner.”
New Routes
The new markets announced today maximize revenue potential across JetBlue’s existing domestic and international network by:
- Introducing all-new nonstop destinations from four JetBlue focus cities, plus expanded Mint service in Newark and Los Angeles.
- Growing JetBlue’s New York City presence in Newark with more than a half dozen new routes to the Caribbean.
- Building out the airline’s new Los Angeles focus city with expanded domestic and – for the first time in JetBlue’s history – international service at LAX.
- Offering unique, new nonstop western U.S. destinations from Fort Lauderdale not served by any other airline.
- Connecting a variety of new city pairs across the Southeast, Florida, the West Coast and the Caribbean and Latin America.
- Advancing JetBlue’s position as the transcontinental leader with new markets never served coast-to-coast by the airline.
JetBlue will reactivate some temporarily parked aircraft to support the new routes. Alongside the rest of the JetBlue network, these new markets will be regularly evaluated. The airline will remain flexible, allowing market demand to determine how long a particular route continues to operate.
Today’s announcement is the latest in a series of strategic moves JetBlue has made to accelerate its recovery and generate cash in the current travel environment. In June, JetBlue announced it would add 30 new domestic routes to serve customers in markets where leisure and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) travel is showing some signs of strength. In July, the airline announced Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) would become its primary base of operations in greater Los Angeles, advancing JetBlue’s focus city strategy and building relevance for the airline in one of the busiest markets in the world. Then, just a week later, JetBlue announced a strategic partnership with American Airlines to create more competitive options and choice for customers in the Northeast.
ADVANCING THE FOCUS CITY STRATEGY
Service between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and:
Aruba Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA)*
Launching November 19, 2020 | 1x daily | MINT on select flights
Cancún International Airport (CUN)*
Launching November 19, 2020 | 2x daily
Montego Bay, Jamaica Sangster International Airport (MBJ)*
Launching November 19, 2020 | 1x daily
Nassau, Bahamas Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS)*
Launching November 19, 2020 | 1x daily
Turks and Caicos Providenciales International Airport (PLS)*
Launching November 19, 2020 | 1x daily
Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ)*
Launching November 19, 2020 | 1x daily
Sint Maarten Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM)*
Launching November 19, 2020 | 1x daily | MINT on select flights
Service between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and:
Charleston International Airport (CHS)
Launching December 18, 2020 | 1x daily
Cancún International Airport (CUN)*
Launching November 19, 2020 | 2x daily
Liberia, Costa Rica Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR)*
Launching December 18, 2020 | 2x weekly | MINT on select flights
Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
Launching November 19, 2020 | 1x daily | MINT on select flights
Raleigh–Durham International Airport (RDU)
Launching December 18, 2020 | 1x daily
Richmond International Airport (RIC)
Launching December 18, 2020 | 1x daily
San José, Costa Rica Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)*
Launching December 18, 2020 | 1x daily
Service between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and:
Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN)
Launching December 18, 2020 | 2x weekly
Palm Springs International Airport (PSP)
Launching December 18, 2020 | 2x weekly
Service between San Juan Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) and:
Raleigh–Durham International Airport (RDU)
Launching November 19, 2020 | 1x daily
MORE FLORIDA FLYING
Service between Tampa International Airport (TPA) and:
Cancún International Airport (CUN)*
Launching November 19, 2020 | 1x daily
Richmond International Airport (RIC)
Launching November 19, 2020 | 1x daily
Service between Fort Myers Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) and:
Raleigh–Durham International Airport (RDU)
Launching November 19, 2020 | 1x daily
LARGER IN LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN
Service between Cancún International Airport (CUN) and:
Raleigh–Durham International Airport (RDU)*
Launching November 19, 2020 | 1x daily
San Francisco International Airport (SFO)*
Launching November 19, 2020 | 2x daily
Service between Montego Bay, Jamaica Sangster International Airport (MBJ) and:
Raleigh–Durham International Airport (RDU)*
Launching November 19, 2020 | 1x daily
EXPANDING TRANSCON COMFORT
Service between Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS) and:
Richmond International Airport (RIC)
Launching December 18, 2020 | 1x daily
Most new JetBlue routes will be operated using JetBlue’s Airbus A320 aircraft offering the airline's award-winning service featuring the most legroom in coach (a); free Fly-Fi, the fastest broadband internet in the sky (b); complimentary and unlimited name-brand snacks and soft drinks; free, live DIRECTV® programming and 100+ channels of SiriusXM® radio at every seat.
Travel Flexibility Extended
Keeping in mind flexibility has never been more important to its customers, JetBlue is extending its Go Back and Forth with Confidence initiative for new bookings made through February 28, 2021 for travel on any date. Intended to provide peace of mind and confidence for customers making travel plans, the initiative waives all change and cancel fees for all fares, including Blue Basic, which normally does not allow for any changes. One of the first carriers to suspend these fees in response to the pandemic, JetBlue strongly believes that this policy serves the needs of its customers and will continue to monitor and assess the need for any changes or additions to the company’s policies across the travel journey.
JetBlue’s Go Back and Forth with Confidence initiative is part of the airline’s greater Safety from the Ground Up program, which, along with travel flexibility, focuses on maintaining healthy crewmembers, clean air and surfaces, and more space with fewer touchpoints. To learn more, visit jetblue.com/safety.