JetBlue makes its biggest play for travelers at FLL airport. Here’s what’s new
With Spirit Airlines no longer an active competitor at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, another carrier is making its move to capture more Broward travelers.
JetBlue Airways announced it has rolled out its “largest-ever Fort Lauderdale schedule,” adding seven new nonstop destinations and seven new routes from existing cities as it continues to expand its footprint at the airport.
According to FLL data from May, the carrier accounted for 23.8% of passenger traffic at the airport during the first five months of 2026, the largest share among airlines.
The expanded service features several new domestic and international routes, including Charlotte, North Carolina; Cali, Colombia; and Caracas, Venezuela.
The growth comes a couple months after Spirit, a longtime staple for budget-conscious South Florida travelers, shuttered on May 2. The Dania Beach-based carrier cited insurmountable financial pressures and a “sudden and sustained rise in fuel prices.”
Since then, JetBlue and Frontier are among the airlines that have expanded service from Fort Lauderdale, adding new routes and increasing flight frequencies to fill some of the gap left by Spirit’s collapse.
Here are the new cities with nonstop service from Fort Lauderdale:
- Baltimore: Three daily flights began July 9
- Charlotte, North Carolina: Three daily flights began July 9
- Barranquilla, Colombia: Once daily, beginning Oct. 1
- Cali, Colombia: Once daily, beginning Oct. 15
- Indianapolis: Once daily, beginning Nov. 2
- Caracas, Venezuela: Once daily, with a start date to be announced
JetBlue is also adding new nonstop service from Fort Lauderdale from several cities it already serves:
- Cleveland: Once daily, began July 8
- Nashville, Tennessee: Three daily flights began July 9
- Detroit: Two daily flights began July 9
- Houston: Three daily flights began July 9
- Chicago: Two daily flights began July 9
- Ponce, Puerto Rico: Once daily, began July 9
- San Diego: Once daily, beginning Nov. 19
JetBlue said the new routes have increased its daily departures from FLL by more than 75% compared to this time last year.
“Fort Lauderdale has always been part of JetBlue’s DNA and a cornerstone of our network. We are very excited about this next phase of growth and look forward to delivering great value to the people of South Florida,” Chief Executive Officer Joanna Geraghty said in a news release.
“As Fort Lauderdale’s leading airline, we see an opportunity to continue growing together with this community.”
Since December, JetBlue has launched service to 24 new nonstop destinations from FLL, with six more scheduled to begin later this year, the carrier said.
“JetBlue’s decision to add several new domestic and international destinations to its FLL route map is great news,” Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen said. “We’re elated about JetBlue’s continued investment in FLL and the potential economic impact of the airline increasing operations even further by the winter season.”
