JetBlue Airways’ latest route expansion from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is another feather in the airport’s cap.
The Fort Lauderdale-to-Port-au-Prince route launched with a festive fanfare Thursday is JetBlue’s fifth new route from the Broward County airport this year and coincided with the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival on the island.
And there’s more.
“This flight will be our ninth international destination, and it’ll actually make Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood the largest provider of air service to Haiti of any U.S. gateway,” said Doug Webster, the airport’s deputy director of aviation.
Many passengers bound for Port-au-Prince Thursday on JetBlue flight 1709 danced to Haitian music at Gate F2 in Terminal 3, and enjoyed refreshments and snacks as part of the airline’s inaugural festivities.
“I’m definitely happy to have more choices when traveling to Haiti,” said Josette Cazeau of Miami, who was en route to visit friends and had previously flown with American Airlines.
“I’ve been waiting my entire life to visit and see where they make my favorite rum of all time,” said Burr, editor of Rob’s Rum Guide, referring to Rhum Barbancourt.
The twice-daily, nonstop Port-au-Prince service is part of JetBlue’s ongoing push to grow its network at the Fort Lauderdale airport from 65 daily departures to about 100 flights.
“We see great opportunities with our new service to Port-au-Prince,” JetBlue President and CEO Dave Barger said in a statement. “We look forward to bringing competitive fares along with our award-winning service to Haiti.”
JetBlue’s Port-au-Prince service follows its launch of new service from Fort Lauderdale to Lima, Peru, and Worcester, Mass., in November and to Medellin, Colombia and San Jose, Costa Rica in June.
In May, JetBlue also plans to start daily nonstop service from Fort Lauderdale to Montego Bay, Jamaica; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; and to Port of Spain, Trinidad. Quito, Ecuador is also on the airline’s wish list for Fort Lauderdale in the near future.
“JetBlue is our largest carrier here and we’re very, very excited by their continued growth,” Webster said.
New York-based JetBlue accounted for 19 percent of passenger traffic this year through October, according to the airport’s most recent data.
Thursday’s inaugural service to Haiti, which included a daily flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy airport was significant on several fronts.
It’s one of JetBlue’s largest international startup operations and its first non-English and non-Spanish-speaking destination, said Scott Link, JetBlue’s director of airports.
And to better serve travelers on these flights, Creole-speaking crew members were added, Link said.
For Haitian-Americans, the launch date also held significance marking the 521st anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ landing on Dec. 5, 1492.
“Today was the day Haiti was discovered, and it’s very symbolic that JetBlue has decided to start flying to Haiti on such a [historic] day,” said Jean-Pierre Turgot, president of the Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce and general manager for the airport’s concessionaire Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services.
Source: Sun-sentinel.com
