JetBlue to Launch Daily Flights Between Florida and Trinidad & Tobago

U.S. low-cost carrier JetBlue is introducing daily direct flights between Florida and the Caribbean state of Trinidad & Tobago. The airliner says it has also sought permission from aviation authorities to launch twice-daily flights to the Caribbean country from New York’s JFK Airport.

Flights from Florida to Port of Spain will commence on May 1, 2014, while the service from New York is set to begin sometime in February next year.

Destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean now make up almost one-third of JetBlue’s route network. In the Caribbean, JetBlue is the largest carrier in terms of capacity in both Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, offering more flights than any other airline.

“We are dedicated to growing in South Florida and expanding our network to the Caribbean and Latin America,” said Scott Laurence, vice president of network planning for JetBlue Airways. “We combine low fares with the best customer experience in the skies. Customers visiting the beautiful islands of Trinidad and Tobago have dealt with high fares, cramped seating and limited choices for too long.”

The Caribbean country’s Tourism Minister Chandresh Sharma has welcomed the announcement, saying the new flight service was in line with his government’s vision to grow the tourism sector. “The United States has traditionally been and continues to be one of our major trading partners.  An efficient, reliable and affordable airlift is of critical importance in further capitalizing on the potential from the U.S.,” he added.

JetBlue’s flights from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood and JFK to Port of Spain will be operated with its Airbus A320 fleet, with seating for 150.

JetBlue serves 27 Latin American and Caribbean destinations, including: Aruba;  Barbados; Bermuda; Cayman Islands (Grand Cayman); Colombia (Bogota, Medellinand Cartagena); Costa Rica (Liberia and San Jose); Dominican Republic (La Romana, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Samana, Santiago and Santo Domingo); Jamaica (Kingston and Montego Bay); Mexico (Cancun); Puerto Rico (Aguadilla, Ponce and San Juan); St. Croix; Saint Lucia; St. Maarten; St. Thomas; and, Turks and Caicos (Providenciales).