JetBlue to Launch Air Service Between the US and Haiti

By Narayan Ammachchi

U.S. low-cost airliner JetBlue has announced the introduction of daily flights between two American cities and the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince.

There will be daily flights to Haiti from both New York City and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, said the carrier in a press release.The service will begin on December 5, 2013.

JetBlue said it has plans to offer one daily flight to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and twice daily flights to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL).

On their arrival in Fort Lauderdale, passengers can catch flights to other destinations in the United States including Boston, MA; New York (JFK, LaGuardia and Westchester County); Newark, NJ; and Washington, DC (Reagan National).

Customers traveling on JetBlue’s new nonstop service from Port-au-Prince to New York will be able to connect to Buffalo, NY, Boston, MA, and Chicago, IL, among other destinations, the carrier noted in its statement.

Charles Antoine Forbin, Consul General of Haiti in New York, thanked the U.S. carrier, saying the flight service would ease the traveling between the two countries and help Haitian Americans participate in the rebuilding of the Caribbean country.

“With expansion into Port-au-Prince, we plan to meet the demand for quality service to Haiti by offering competitive fares to the large Haitian diaspora in the United States. In turn, we look forward to helping to support the community on the island,” said Scott Laurence, vice president of network planning for JetBlue Airways.