Miami International Airport after
JetBlue Latin America routes
Miami-Dade is trying to lure
expanding JetBlue airline to add links between Puerto Rico and other Caribbean
and Latin American destinations and Miami International Airport.
Source: Miami Today News
Although JetBlue serves more than 30
destinations from Miami International, its route map doesn’t include Puerto
Rico or other Latin American or Caribbean destinations. In the region,
JetBlue’s website lists routes from MIA only to Los Cabos, Mexico, and Bermuda.
JetBlue’s service from South Florida
to Puerto Rico and other Latin American or Caribbean destinations is from Fort
Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
JetBlue’s website lists 43 routes to
the region from the Broward airport, including tourist destinations such as San
Juan, Puerto Rico; Cancun, Mexico; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Bogota and
Cartagena, Colombia; Guayaquil and Quito, Ecuador; and Aruba.
“Not only is this lack of service
potentially causing Miami-Dade County to lose revenue, but it also
inconveniences the many residents of Miami-Dade County who seek to fly JetBlue
to Puerto Rico or other Latin American or Caribbean destinations,” the county
document says.
Census data show that Miami-Dade has
69.1% Hispanic population. The county resolution estimates that over 70% of
Miami-Dade residents are of Latin American descent, “and a significant portion
of the population is of Puerto Rican descent.”
JetBlue first launched in Miami in
February 2021. A 2021 Aviation Department report lists it as the eighth busiest
airline at MIA. The entry to the Miami market is estimated to generate nearly
$915 million in business revenue and 7,300 local jobs.
JetBlue, one of the nation’s largest
low-cost airlines, is expected to continue growing due to its recent deal to
buy Spirit Airlines. The merger would create the nation’s fifth-largest
airline, with more than 10% of the market, media reports cite. A final deal is
targeted to close in fall and win regulators’ final approval by early 2024.
MIA has long tried to bring JetBlue
to the airport. Aviation marketing manager Chris Mangos told the newspaper in
January 2006 that JetBlue “is not shy about going into larger, more expensive
airports when they know they’ll be well-received. We find that encouraging, and
we are hopeful that 2006 will be the year that we see JetBlue here.”
But historically, Fort
Lauderdale-Hollywood International became known for low-cost flight options,
while Miami has been widely recognized as an international hub.
A 2010 report by Miami Today noted
that in May of that year MIA handled only three low-cost carriers: AirTran
Airways, Alaska Airlines and WestJet. The Broward airport had five: JetBlue,
AirTran Airways, Midwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines.
In 2010, then-Miami-Dade Aviation Director José Abreu said officials were mulling a business model switch that could attract more low-cost carriers, but the aim was not to develop a discount-carrier hub. “I don’t know that this will ever be a low-cost carrier airport…. First class and business class is big business for us,” he said.
That seems to be shifting, as MIA is
currently served by more low-cost airlines such as JetBlue, Spirit, Southwest,
and Frontier Airlines.