FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen was excited about JetBlue’s expansion at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
JetBlue’s first flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to FLL was in 2000, and JFK’s Terminal 5 became its primary hub in 2008.
Spirit Airlines, formerly based in Dania Beach, officially ceased operations on May 2, but yellow still dominates FLL’s Terminal 4. Bogen could see it turning blue.
“I hope to call JetBlue, our hometown airline in the near future,” Bogen wrote in a text message.
Aside from JetBlue, Allegiant and Avianca are among the airlines that have also been expanding services out of FLL, according to airport officials.
“This is a very difficult summer and time for all airlines, but especially the situation Spirit was in with minimum fares and rising fuel costs,” Attorney Willard Shepard, an aviation expert, said.
For DeAnna Allen, Spirit Airlines’ shutdown means she and her family can no longer use the Savers’ Club benefits to travel.
“I still won’t be able to fly as much because it costs too much,” Allen said.
At FLL’s Terminal 3, business was booming for JetBlue. Already, more than 40% of the airline’s flights are in and out of FLL.
JetBlue will be adding 11 new destinations out of FLL and planning the first flight between FLL and Venezuela in the airline’s history.
“We are stepping up for a community that has been a part of our story since day one at an important moment, adding service where customers need it, strengthening our relevance across South Florida and making FLL an even more powerful gateway across the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean,” Daniel Shurz, JetBlue’s senior vice president of revenue, network, and enterprise planning, said in a statement.
Related reports
- JetBlue plans new Fort Lauderdale flights to Venezuela
- Officials doing ‘due diligence’ on replacing BSO with in-house airport police at FLL
- Spirit Airlines asks guests not to go to FLL; JetBlue adds new FLL flights
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