Air Transport

JetBlue Airways has asked the Jamaican government for approval to inaugurate service to Montego Bay from Boston and Orlando, upping competition with Air Jamaica after experiencing a better than expected response to its New York JFK-Montego Bay operations. Scott Laurence, JetBlue's vice president of network planning, told ATI in July that it was considering Montego Bay connections to Boston, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale due to the carrier recording its most successful route launch to date when it began daily Airbus A320 New York JFK-Montego Bay service on 21 May.

The low-cost carrier aims to bolster its present schedule with Saturday-only service between its Boston focus city and Montego Bay from 9 January 2010. Montego Bay would mark its 33rd Boston destination. JetBlue currently offers 71 daily flights to the Caribbean.

JetBlue also intends inaugurate daily flights between Orlando and Montego Bay starting on 8 February 2010, challenging Air Jamaica on a route that the Jamaican flag carrier also serves daily, according to schedules in Innovata.

Orlando-Montego Bay would mark the latest city pair in which JetBlue and Air Jamaica compete.

Air Jamaica operates from New York JFK to both Montego Bay and Kingston. JetBlue will inaugurate flights between New York JFK and Kingston on 30 October 2009.

In addition, JetBlue seeks to increase New York JFK-Montego Bay frequencies by offering 11 flights per week this winter.