Year-round service between San Juan and Tampa, Florida

New York City-based JetBlue has announced plans to add another two nonstop routes to Puerto Rico.

With these two new routes, JetBlue will have year-round service between Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina and San Juan and between Tampa, Florida and Aguadilla, a town on Puerto Rico’s northwestern tip.

The flights, which will be launched this summer, are already out for sale. 

Raleigh, in particular, is an increasingly important market for the Caribbean, following last year’s launch of flights on Bahamas Air between Raleigh Durham and Grand Bahama. At present, JetBlue operates 35 departures per day to Puerto Rico out of 12 different cities in the United States and the Caribbean; the airline has been flying to Puerto Rico for 21 years. 

Puerto Rico’s Tourism Company is hailing the move saying it is thrilled to announce the incorporation of the two new routes. 

Longstanding alliance

Executive Director, Carlos Mercado Santiago was quoted by Caribbean Journal as saying, “the expanded network connects two of Puerto Rico’s main airports to key markets in the continental United States providing travelers with even more options to explore and enjoy the diversity available on the island. We value the longstanding alliance between the Government of Puerto Rico and JetBlue, and look forward to continue providing excellence in the visitor experience, and increasing Tourism’s contribution to local economies.” 

The new flights are the result of JetBlue’s combination with Spirit Airlines, which the American carrier said would “unlock long-term growth opportunities in Puerto Rico that would not be otherwise possible, offering more options for customers travelling to and from the island.”

For his part, JetBlue’s CEO, Robin Hayes notes, “as the largest airline in Puerto Rico, we are thrilled to continue diversifying our network and to further grow JetBlue’s presence on the island with the addition of these two new routes. This growth will increase competition and choice for customers traveling to and from Puerto Rico and for travelers in Raleigh and Tampa, while also building on our commitment to support tourism on the island and connect family and friends.”

Continuing, he stressed “we look forward to delivering even more of the much-loved JetBlue experience with our unique combination of low fares and award-winning service – to our customers traveling between Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland following the successful completion of our combination with Spirit.” 

JetBlue isn’t alone in its expansion in Puerto Rico. Low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines has been on an even bigger expansion push to Puerto Rico since the pandemic, adding more flights to the island than any other airline.