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JetBlue-emblazoned airliners will soon be joining the fleet at Long Island’s MacArthur Airport, it was announced today.
And some will be flying nonstop to Orlando, Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“Our airport customers across Long Island have been expressing their clear enthusiasm for more air service at ISP (Islip), and JetBlue is consistently one of the most frequent requests,” said Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter.”We’ve been listening and working very hard to bring additional options to Long Island.”
All routes will feature JetBlue’s Airbus A320 aircraft, including 162 seats with 42 Even More-brand Space Seats, officials said. To celebrate today’s announcement, and for a limited time, travelers can take advantage of special $49 one-way fares for flights between ISP and these Florida destinations, available online only on jetblue.com.
Come October, JetBlue will operate daily service between ISP and Orlando (MCO), and four times weekly between ISP and Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Palm Beach (PBI), offering both direct and indirect flights.
The huge news was announced during a press conference at the Ronkonkoma airport, which is managed by the Town of Islip.
“Today’s announcement reflects our determination and active outreach, as JetBlue will now serve Islip’s Long Island MacArthur Airport initially with three Florida destinations that the carrier carefully selected,” Carpenter said.
JetBlue was founded in 1999 with a longtime headquarters in Forest Hills, Queens, before moving to Long Island City. They bill themselves as “New York’s Hometown Airline.”
“We are thrilled to bring JetBlue’s award-winning service to Long Island MacArthur Airport,” said Dave Jehn of JetBlue. “Our decision to add nonstop flights to three popular Florida destinations is a testament to our commitment to providing customers with more convenient travel options to and from the places they most want to go.”
JetBlue is currently the sixth largest airline in the U.S. and the only major passenger airline based in New York.
MacArthur Airport has completed over $100 million in planning and capital projects since 2016, including the rehabilitation of airfield taxiway and runway surfaces, a ground transportation center and walkway, a fire rescue building, and is nearing completion on significant mechanical engineering and plumbing capital improvements, town officials siad.
“These projects position the airport to be ready to welcome new carriers like JetBlue, and serve our other three existing airlines and loyal customers across Long Island,” said the airport’s deputy commissioner, Rob Schneider.
The JetBlue news also comes on the heels of last week’s announcement that Southwest will be flying nonstop to Miami.
Photo: A JetBlue flight over Long Island last year. (Credit: Greater Long Island/Nick Esposito)
