JetBlue Airways is continuing to lock in its South Florida dominance among low-budget airlines with expanded Mint premium service between Fort Lauderdale and several California destinations, including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and new daily service to San Diego International Airport (SAN).
The San Diego flights will begin Nov. 19, JetBlue said in a June 17 release. Tickets are on sale now at jetblue.com and in the carrier’s app, and TrueBlue customers who book on the new route by June 21 may be eligible to receive 2,500 bonus points, the release said.
The others will launch starting this winter, the New York-based carrier said.
Plan your vacation on Orbitz
JetBlue’s business-class Mint flights offer fully lie-flat seats, dedicated storage, and curated dining, among other amenities, the company said.
“Customers in Fort Lauderdale continue to choose JetBlue for a better coast-to-coast experience, and these additions give them even more of what they value most: more flights, more premium options and the comfort of Mint on key West Coast routes,” said Daniel Shurz, JetBlue senior vice president, revenue, network and enterprise planning, in the release.
JetBlue dominating budget air travel in South Florida
JetBlue and Spirit Airlines have long battled for ultra-low-budget supremacy at Fort Lauderdale International Airport, and since Spirit abruptly closed its doors in May, JetBlue has concentrated its efforts to establish Fort Lauderdale as a key focus city. The airline even cut routes from other airports and announced it was ending service to a Boston-area airport this summer to devote more resources to the Fort Lauderdale airport.
Within days of Spirit’s grounding, JetBlue announced 11 new domestic and international routes to and from Fort Lauderdale and increased service on more existing routes. By the end of May, it announced nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale and Caracas
JetBlue expects to operate nearly 150 daily departures from Fort Lauderdale by this winter, the company said, over 75% more daily flights than last year.
What JetBlue Mint service is coming to Florida?
Fort Lauderdale to San Diego begins Nov. 19, with daily Mint flights.
Daily Mint flights between Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles will expand to up to eight daily flights by this winter, JetBlue said, and daily Mint flights between Fort Lauderdale and San Francisco will expand to three.
What is JetBlue Mint service?
Debuted in 2014, Mint is JetBlue’s top-of-the-line premium service for travelers who want to enjoy their flights in comfort. It features amenities such as:
JetBlue launched Orlando-Las Vegas Mint service in October.
More airlines are adding Florida flights
Several familiar names have increased their Florida presence this year, including:
C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: JetBlue to connect Florida and California with premium Mint flights
Reporting by C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
