JetBlue to Launch Florida Service from Long Island this October

JetBlue will launch service for the first time from Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP), the Long Island-based airline announced Tuesday through a press release.

The business expansion of the low-cost airline will allow Long Island residents to travel to popular destinations in Florida.

Starting this October, the Long Islanders can directly fly between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Palm Beach International Airport (PBI).

Several low-cost airlines—including Southwest, Frontier, and recently Breeze Airways--already serve the Long Island airport.

Long Island is an integral part of the New York Metro area, and the management of the ‘New York’s Hometown Airline’ is excited to bring its ‘award-winning’ service to customers in this community, said Dave Jehn, JetBlue’s VP of network planning and airline partnerships.

“The addition of Long Island MacArthur Airport to our network will offer more options and greater convenience for customers, and we are proud to provide new opportunities for more Long Islanders to experience our unique combination of low fares and great service."

New Islip Routes

The first JetBlue flight from MacArthur Airport will take off on Oct. 24, 2024, bound for Orlando. The once-daily service will depart Orlando at 07:30 and arrive in Islip at 10:30.

The JetBlue Airbus A320 will then have a scheduled 45-minute turnaround at MacArthur Airport before operating the flight back to Orlando, scheduled from 11:15 to 14:15.

JetBlue will also offer routes to West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida four times a week. 

Like JetBlue's new ISP-MCO route, the carrier plans to launch flights to West Palm Beach on October 24. The inbound flight will depart West Palm Beach at 10:55 and arrive in Islip at 13:55, also to be operated by a JetBlue A320. The outbound flight will depart Long Island at 14:20 and arrive in West Palm Beach at 17:40.

Both PBI-ISP and ISP-PBI will be operated on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays with one daily departure on those days. 

Finally, JetBlue's new service between Islip and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

The inbound flight from Fort Lauderdale will depart Florida at 08:35 and arrive at MacArthur at 11:35. The aircraft will then turn around and operate the outbound flight from Islip to Fort Lauderdale from 12:20 to 15:20. 

Summary of JetBlue's New Islip Routes
 

Long Island MacArthur Airport

Serving the greater Nassau and Suffolk counties, Long Island MacArthur Airport is located about 60 miles east of New York City. Mainly serving as a general aviation airport, MacArthur Airport is home to numerous flight schools and a division of the Civil Air Patrol. 

The airport offers many commercial connections to 13 destinations across the United States, including Washington D.C., Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Miami, Atlanta, Tampa, Raleigh, Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston, Portland (ME), Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. 

The airport offers a quieter alternative for travelers looking to avoid the three major NYC airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and Newark International Airport (EWR).

Smaller airports, like MacArthur and White Plains Airport located just north of New York City, offer shorter security wait times, faster bag drop-offs, and an overall less stressful travel experience.

"Our hometown airport is convenient, has efficient security lines, and provides an overall stress-free travel experience. Long Islanders have waited for New York’s hometown airline, JetBlue, for 24 years, and this is a great day for our community and MacArthur Airport!” said Shelley LaRose-Arken, Long Island MacArthur Airport commissioner.

Competition Heats up at ISP

Despite the recent withdrawal of American Airlines from ISP, at MacArthur, JetBlue will compete head-to-head with some of the largest low-cost carriers in the US, including Southwest, Frontier and Breeze.

On their new ISP-MCO route, JetBlue will compete with up to four daily flights also operated by Frontier and Southwest to the popular Florida getaway.

Competition to West Palm Beach is similar, with Southwest and Frontier already offering up to three daily flights between ISP and PBI. However, only Frontier has an existing service to Fort Lauderdale from Islip, offering one flight daily.

However, despite being a low-cost carrier service, JetBlue claims to offer many additional amenities to passengers.

"JetBlue’s new service at Long Island MacArthur Airport will allow customers to enjoy the airline’s award-winning, customer-centric experience including the most legroom in coach, seatback entertainment at every seat and fast, free, unlimited Fly-Fi on all flights," the airline said in a statement.

JetBlue's Continued Journey to Profitability

Jetblue's latest network expansion comes a little over a month after the airline's previous network shake-up, including the introduction of a dozen new routes to Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

By stepping into Long Island, JetBlue highlights their continued pursuit of leisure and VFR (visiting friends and family) routes as the carrier continues to chart a path towards profitability after the Department of Transportation struck down the Northeast alliance with American Airlines last year. 

To celebrate the launch of JetBlue flights from Long Island's MacArthur Airport, JetBlue is offering introductory fares starting at $59 on their website for all three routes.