JetBlue Airways, which has surged into first place as the leading commercial airline at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, announced Thursday it intends to start its first direct flights to Venezuela from the Broward County airport before the year\u2019s end.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the New York-based airline said tickets are expected to go on sale for flights to the capital city of Caracas \u201cin the coming months,\u201d but the announcement did not list any prices or flight frequencies.<\/p>\n
The route would be the first for JetBlue between the South American nation and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, where JetBlue is beefing up its presence<\/a> with a major hub operation in the wake of Spirit Airlines\u2019 demise earlier this month.<\/p>\n By this summer, JetBlue expects to be operating nearly 130 flights a day at Fort Laudersdale-Hollywood International, with the figure growing to around 150 by early 2027<\/a>, according to its president, Marty St. George. Last week, the executive addressed the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance at a luncheon in Hollywood to outline the carrier\u2019s growth plans.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a full-size operation for us,\u201d he told the Sun Sentinel in an interview. \u201cFor the first time in JetBlue\u2019s history, [there will be] an actual hub where we have flights timed for connections. I think it\u2019s going to be a very different operation than we have ever had before.\u201d<\/p>\n Without referring to the emerging political rapprochement between the United States and the Venezuelan regime once led by strongman Nicolas Maduro, JetBlue said Thursday it is responding \u201cto strong travel demand between South Florida and Venezuela, especially for family visits.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n The Greater Fort Lauderdale area is home to one of the larger Venezuelan exile populations in Florida.<\/p>\n \u201cFort Lauderdale continues to serve as JetBlue\u2019s gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America, and we believe there is meaningful opportunity to expand our presence in the region with planned service to Caracas,\u201d Dave Jehn, the airline\u2019s vice president, network planning and airline partnerships, said in the Thursday statement. \u201cSouth Florida is home to a large Venezuelan community, and this new route would help connect families and loved ones with JetBlue\u2019s competitive fares and award-winning service.\u201d<\/p>\n The airline said it plans to operate Airbus A320 jetliners on the proposed route. The proposed route still requires government approvals \u201cand completion of applicable processes to operate in Venezuela.\u201d<\/p>\n In Central and South America, the carrier currently serves Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Guatemala, as well as 20 destinations in the Caribbean including the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n American resumes flights<\/p>\n American Airlines, the predominant carrier at Miami International Airport, resumed its service to Venezuela between Miami and Caracas in late April after a multi-year hiatus.<\/p>\n Flights to Caracas are operated by Envoy, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group, with Embraer 175 jetliners.<\/p>\n American started operating in Venezuela in 1987 but suspended service in 2019.<\/p>\n United Airlines has said it will start non-stop flights between Houston and Caracas on Aug. 11.<\/p>\n U.S. flight ban lifted<\/p>\n In January, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy \u200blifted a seven-year-old ban that prohibited American air carriers from flying to and from Venezuela.<\/p>\n