JetBlue's newest destination: Minneapolis/St. Paul
JetBlue is coming to Minneapolis/St. Paul.
JetBlue says the metro area had been the largest U.S. market it did not serve. The Twin Cities also add a Midwestern dot to the airline’s route map, which is otherwise fairly spartan in the region.
JetBlue’s Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) flights begin on May 3, when it starts a schedule of three daily round-trip flights to its hub in Boston. The carrier will use Airbus A320 aircraft on the route.
“As the largest airline in Boston we are answering calls from our customers who have long asked us to offer our great service and low fares on this important route,” John Checketts, JetBlue’s VP network planning, says in a statement. “And adding Minneapolis/Saint Paul to our map will give Twin Cities travelers a refreshing new choice in the air with JetBlue’s long list of perks not matched by any other airline in the market.”
The arrival of JetBlue was lauded by MSP airport officials.
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“We have been pursuing air service from JetBlue for several years and couldn’t be more pleased with their decision to add Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Airport to their route map in 2018,” Brian Ryks, CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, adds in the statement. “With this service, travelers can connect on JetBlue in Boston to 60 other cities in the United States and Caribbean.”
JetBlue will step into a crowded market with its new service between Boston and MSP. Delta, Spirit and Minnesota-based Sun Country Airlines also fly non-stop on the route.
In particular, the new service puts JetBlue into increasing competition with Delta. Delta is by far the biggest carrier at MSP, where it operates a large connecting hub.
Delta and JetBlue have also become increasingly competitive in other markets, including in Boston – where JetBlue is the top carrier – and in Atlanta, where JetBlue has expanded service at the Delta-dominated airport. In the Northeast, JetBlue’s recently launched New York LaGuardia-Boston flights have proved disruptive to the longstanding shuttle flights of Delta and American.
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