JetBlue Airways is making a big push to cement its position as the dominant budget airline in South Florida with new routes and increased service at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in the wake of Spirit Airlines’ abrupt departure.
All that growth may mean reducing service elsewhere. The New York-based carrier is reportedly cutting some routes from other airports, including some in Florida, and ending service at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) this summer.
The New York-based carrier saw a “strong performance” at FLL in the first quarter of 2026, with revenue per available seat-mile up 5% year over year and 23% capacity growth, according to the first-quarter earnings call. The carrier called FLL a “key driver of JetBlue’s network and revenue strategy.”
JetBlue’s president, Marty St. George, also teased a dedicated lounge at Fort Lauderdale in the call, which would be the carrier’s third after New York and a planned one in Boston. “We are looking at trying to find space for a BlueHouse facility in Fort Lauderdale,” he said.
JetBlue drops Boston-area airport
Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) in New Hampshire confirmed in a May 14 Facebook post that JetBlue will be terminating service after July 8. JetBlue currently flies between Manchester and Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Fort Myers.
JetBlue told NBC10 Boston that it is “ending service on a small number of underperforming routes and redeploying aircraft to support growth on routes with stronger customer demand.”
JetBlue dropping these Florida routes
The Points Guy reported that JetBlue is ending nine additional routes, including four Florida flights:
New JetBlue routes in Florida
Within days of the struggling Spirit Airlines grounding its planes on May 2, JetBlue announced a major expansion to fill the gap, including 11 new cities and increased service.
That’s in addition to a previously announced new nonstop route to Cleveland (CLE), starting in July.
JetBlue will also increase service on multiple existing routes from Fort Lauderdale, including to Austin, Texas; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Aguadilla, Puerto Rico; and Santo Domingo, and Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic.
JetBlue expects to operate nearly 130 daily departures from Fort Lauderdale this summer, the company said, over 75% more daily flights than last year.
“South Florida is a key market for JetBlue, and we recognize this is a challenging moment for many travelers,” said Geraghty. “Our focus is on stepping up in the near term by adding service, maintaining connectivity, and keeping fares competitive, so customers can continue to travel with confidence.”
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 day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: JetBlue’s new Florida flights: routes, dates, what’s cut
Reporting by C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
