JetBlue is preparing to add another pin to its Latin America route map, and this one carries more significance than most. The airline has announced its intent to launch nonstop flights between 
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS) near Caracas, marking JetBlue’s first-ever service to Venezuela.
The planned route is still subject to government approval and the completion of the necessary operating processes in Venezuela, but JetBlue says it expects to begin flying before the end of the year. If approved, the new service would further strengthen Fort Lauderdale’s role as JetBlue’s South Florida gateway, while also placing the airline into a newly reopened market that US carriers have only just begun to serve again after years of suspension.
JetBlue Plans Its First-Ever Venezuela Route
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JetBlue said the proposed Fort Lauderdale-Caracas route would connect Venezuela’s capital with one of the airline’s most important focus cities. Fort Lauderdale has long been a natural launching point for JetBlue’s Caribbean and Latin America flying, and Caracas would add a major visiting-friends-and-relatives (VFR) market to that network.
The airline said tickets are expected to go on sale in the coming months, assuming the route receives the required approvals. The flights would be operated using an Airbus A320 aircraft, offering JetBlue’s standard onboard product, including free Fly-Fi, seatback entertainment, and complimentary snacks and drinks. While JetBlue has not yet announced a schedule or frequency, the airline has made clear that it sees strong demand from South Florida’s Venezuelan community.
Dave Jehn, vice president of network planning at JetBlue, had the following to say:
“Fort Lauderdale continues to serve as JetBlue’s gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America, and we believe there is a meaningful opportunity to expand our presence in the region with planned service to Caracas, helping to connect families and loved ones with JetBlue’s competitive fares and award-winning service.”
Jehn also alluded to the logic behind the new route. South Florida has one of the largest Venezuelan populations in the United States, but travelers have had no nonstop options since US-Venezuela flights were suspended several years ago. JetBlue’s Fort Lauderdale base gives the airline a strong local market, but also allows it to feed Caracas through domestic and regional connections across its network.
Fort Lauderdale Continues To Be JetBlue’s Big Growth Story
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Caracas is not an isolated move. It is part of a much larger Fort Lauderdale push by JetBlue, which has been steadily adding routes and frequencies as it looks to cement its position as the airport’s largest carrier. JetBlue is now set to operate nearly 130 daily departures from Fort Lauderdale this summer, its largest-ever schedule from the airport and more than 75% above 2025 levels.
That growth has accelerated in waves. In January, JetBlue announced new year-round service from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando and Dallas/Fort Worth. In March, it added Cleveland and boosted several existing domestic and Caribbean routes. Then in May, following the shutdown of Spirit Airlines, JetBlue announced 11 more nonstop destinations from Fort Lauderdale, including new service to Colombia, Puerto Rico, and several large US cities.
Upcoming New JetBlue Routes From FLL
Frequency
Start Date
Orlando (MCO)
2x daily
May 21
Cleveland (CLE)
1x daily
July 8
Baltimore (BWI)
3x daily
July 9
Charlotte (CLT)
3x daily
July 9
Nashville (BNA)
3x daily
July 9
Houston (IAH)
3x daily
July 9
Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
2x daily
July 9
Detroit (DTW)
2x daily
July 9
Ponce, Puerto Rico (PSE)
1x daily
July 9
Barranquilla, Colombia (BAQ)
1x daily
October 1
Cali, Colombia (CLO)
1x daily
October 15
Columbus (CMH)
1x daily
November 2
Indianapolis (IND)
1x daily
November 2
Caracas, Venezuela (CCS)
TBC
Before end of 2026
The strategy is clear. JetBlue is not merely adding select point-to-point flying from Fort Lauderdale; it is rebuilding scale. More daily departures create more relevance for local travelers, more connection opportunities, and a stronger loyalty proposition. That matters even more in Fort Lauderdale, where Spirit’s collapse has left a large amount of traffic up for grabs and where JetBlue has a chance to become the default carrier for a much wider range of travelers.
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Venezuela Is Reopening To US Airlines
Credit: Embraer
The Caracas announcement also comes at a key moment for US-Venezuela aviation. 
American Airlines resumed service from 
Miami International Airport (MIA) to Caracas flights on April 30, marking the first nonstop commercial flight between the two countries in seven years. American is using Envoy-operated Embraer E175 aircraft and has said it will add a second daily Miami-Caracas flight, strengthening its position in a market it served for more than three decades before suspending flights in 2019.
United Airlines is also expected to return. The airline has outlined plans to resume Caracas service from 
Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in August using Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, which would give Venezuela a second major US hub connection beyond South Florida. Meanwhile, Venezuelan carrier Laser Airlines has also been linked to Miami-Caracas service using a leased A320, a workaround made necessary by Venezuela’s FAA Category 2 status, which restricts Venezuelan airlines from operating their own aircraft to the United States.
Another carrier to watch is 
Delta Air Lines, which operated to Caracas from 
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), but suspended the route in 2017 amid Venezuela’s political and economic crisis. For now, however, JetBlue’s move is more directly tied to South Florida’s Venezuelan community and to its broader Fort Lauderdale strategy. If approved, Caracas would become JetBlue’s 20th route from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean and Latin America. With Spirit’s network gone and Fort Lauderdale now central to JetBlue’s growth plans, that regional map will only continue to grow.