JetBlue plans JFK-LAX service, other new California routes

Competition in the busy New York-Los Angeles International (LAX) market will heat up even more on May 21 when low-cost JetBlue Airways jumps into the fray. On that date, JetBlue will launch three flights a day between LAX and its base at New York JFK, as well as one daily LAX-Boston fight. Until now, JetBlue has been nipping at the edges of the Los Angeles market, with service to JFK from secondary airports like Long Beach and Burbank. JetBlue is the second low-cost airline to enter the LAX-JFK route; San Francisco-based Virgin America now operates five transcontinental flights a day from LAX to Kennedy, and two a day between LAX and Washington Dulles.

JetBlue also announced plans for other route expansion in southern California. On May 21, JetBlue will increase its Long Beach operations by adding three new routes: San Jose, with three flights a day; Seattle with two; and Austin with one. On the same date, JetBlue will start new service between Burbank and Washington Dulles with two daily roundtrips (JetBlue already flies the Long Beach-Washington Dulles route), as well as one new daily flight between Burbank-Las Vegas. At San Diego, JetBlue will begin seasonal service to Seattle May 21 with one flight a day, and on May 1 it will add a second daily roundtrip between San Diego-Salt Lake City.

Meanwhile, Virgin America continues its own slow but steady growth on the west coast. It just started new San Francisco-San Diego service, and it will begin new San Francisco-Seattle non-stops March 18, followed by LAX-Seattle service effective April 8.