JetBlue is set to expand to Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip

JetBlue is expanding to a new airport in New York – one not far from its headquarters.

Starting this fall, the airline will launch service from Islip’s Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) to three destinations in Florida.

The move is the first for JetBlue, which is headquartered in New York and has a strong presence at the region’s three largest airports – most notably John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

“This new service is intended to help better serve the many loyal JetBlue customers living on Long Island, providing them with more convenient travel options to popular Florida destinations,” the airline said. . statement Tuesday.

Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG’s free bi-weekly Aviation newsletter.

JetBlue’s new Islip routes

With these three new routes, JetBlue clearly hopes to take advantage of leisure travelers flying between New York and the Sunshine State, with service to popular seasonal and vacation destinations.

Here’s the full list of the three new routes:

• ISP to Orlando International Airport (MCO) — launching October 24, operating daily
• ISP to Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) — launching October 24, operating four times per week
• ISP to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) — launching October 25, operating four times per week

Related: JetBlue TrueBlue Program: Earn and redeem points, partner transfers and more

Expanding New York’s footprint

JetBlue’s arrival at Islip will give the airport a fourth airline. Today, it is served by Southwest Airlines, along with low-cost carriers Breeze Airways and Frontier Airlines.

As of October, before JetBlue arrived, here’s the route map out of Islip, as shown on the map below from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

The airport already has nonstop flights to the three destinations JetBlue will serve, which means the carrier will provide some competition on its Orlando, Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale routes.

JetBlue’s new airport comes as the carrier is in the midst of a crisis shook the internet for many months with the hope of returning to profit. The moves have seen JetBlue pull out of some cities such as Los Angeles and over the winter at London Gatwick Airport (LGW), while increasing service to San Juan in Puerto Rico and doubling double presence in the Northeast — not to mention a focus on leisure travel, as CEO Joanna Geraghty told me the carrier would do earlier this year.

“We are definitely known for entertaining, we were born to entertain,” Geraghty said in March of the airline’s plans. launches JetBlue’s Dublin service. “So we continue to double down on our core entertainment and what that brings.”

Located in the central portion of Long Island, Islip airport is approximately 45 miles from both JFK and LaGuardia Airport (LGA).

Related reading: