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JetBlue Airways Corp. is set to launch nonstop flights between Indianapolis and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, adding a new airline to Indianapolis International Airport following Spirit Airlines’ demise earlier this year.

The New York City-based airline’s first flight, which was announced in May, is scheduled to arrive in Indianapolis on Monday evening, with the first departure set for Tuesday morning. Fort Lauderdale is a popular destination among Hoosier travelers and a hub for connections to the Caribbean and Central America.

Airport officials spent more than a decade courting JetBlue, said Marsha Wurster, senior director of commercial enterprise at the Indianapolis Airport Authority, which oversees the airport.

“They’re gonna bring just sort of a new dimension and a differentiated product to the Indianapolis market,” Wurster said.

JetBlue is considered a low-cost carrier, as was Spirit, which went out of business May 2 after 34 years in operation and bankruptcies in 2024 and 2025.

Daniel Shurz, JetBlue’s senior vice president of revenue, network and enterprise planning, told IBJ that one-way fares could be as low as $59.

“We pride ourselves truly on offering … a generally high-value experience,” Shurz said.

JetBlue plans to use its A320 aircrafts for the Indianapolis route. Each plane seats 162 passengers and offers free internet access and on-demand movies and television shows.

Wurster said JetBlue’s service will include a multiple-class experience at varying costs, offering passengers an upgraded seating option with more legroom and premium food and beverage options.

“It’s nice to have that offering for a differentiated and elevated level of service,” she said.

JetBlue is expanding its operations in Fort Lauderdale, Shurz said.

“We’ve been looking at sort of how we want to grow, and obviously we’ve looked at cities that had the most opportunity to generate both traffic to South Florida,” Shurz said. “But also, I think even more importantly, cities where there was good demand.”

Spirit’s demise eliminated about two dozen weekly flights from Indianapolis to destinations across the country, including Fort Lauderdale.

An average of about 440 Hoosiers traveled to Fort Lauderdale each day last year, rising to about 630 a day during spring break, Wurster said.

South Florida “is a really important market,” Wurster said. “It was really just very timely for JetBlue to step in.”

With JetBlue’s arrival, Indianapolis International Airport will be served by 12 scheduled passenger airlines.

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