JetBlue Expands Fort Lauderdale Flights Despite Uncertainty

JetBlue said Tuesday it is sticking with its Fort Lauderdale growth plan even if Spirit Airlines secures a government bailout. (cnbc.com) JetBlue President Marty St. George said on the company’s earnings call that the airline had added “significant capacity” at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. He said the expansion did not depend on Spirit disappearing. (cnbc.com) Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in less than a year, and CNBC reported the carrier is in talks with the Trump administration over a possible bailout that could include a $500 million loan. (cnbc.com) Fort Lauderdale is Spirit’s home hub, so every schedule change there reshapes one of the busiest low-cost airline battlegrounds in the country. In February, Spirit still led the airport with nearly 25% market share, down from more than 28% a year earlier. (cnbc.com) JetBlue’s share at the airport rose to more than 20% from 18.5% over the same period, according to the latest airport statistics cited by CNBC. St. George said JetBlue used gate space created by Spirit’s pullbacks. (cnbc.com) The carrier has been building that position for months. On March 12, JetBlue said it was making Jacksonville daily year-round from Fort Lauderdale and increasing service to Cartagena, Dallas-Fort Worth and Tampa starting in June. (jetblue.com) Two weeks later, JetBlue announced a new daily Fort Lauderdale-Cleveland route starting July 8 and higher frequencies on nine existing routes, including Atlanta, Newark, Las Vegas and Santo Domingo. (jetblue.com) JetBlue said that Cleveland addition would bring its past-year total to 21 city launches from Fort Lauderdale and nearly 32 extra daily departures. The company said it now operates the most departures of any airline at the airport. (jetblue.com 1) (jetblue.com 2) CNBC reported that United Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Breeze Airways and other carriers have also added service at airports where Spirit has a large presence. That means Fort Lauderdale’s route map is growing even as Spirit cuts capacity to save cash. (cnbc.com) JetBlue’s message on Tuesday was that South Florida demand has held up despite higher fuel costs and Spirit’s uncertain future. The airline is betting the customers it has already won in Fort Lauderdale will keep filling those added seats. (cnbc.com)