JetBlue Airways is moving quickly to fill in the gap left by the collapse of Spirit Airlines at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL).
The New York-based carrier will pick up some of Spirit’s lost service at Fort Lauderdale with 11 new routes from the airport beginning in July. All are markets that had been served by the discounter until its closure in the wee hours of Saturday morning.
JetBlue’s new routes from FLL are:
- Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport (BAQ) in Barranquilla, Colombia, daily from Oct. 1
- Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), thrice daily from July 9
- Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport (CLO) in Cali, Colombia, daily from Oct. 15
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), thrice daily from July 9
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), twice daily from July 9
- John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) in Ohio, daily from Nov. 2
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), twice daily from July 9
- Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), thrice daily from July 9
- Indianapolis International Airport (IND), daily from Nov. 2
- Nashville International Airport (BNA), thrice daily from July 9
- Mercedita International Airport (PSE) in Ponce, Puerto Rico, daily from July 9
Of those, six are airports not currently served by JetBlue. They are: Barranquilla, Baltimore, Cali, Charlotte, Columbus and Indianapolis.
COMPLETE COVERAGE FROM TPG: Spirit Airlines shuts down
“South Florida is a key market for JetBlue, and we recognize this is a challenging moment for many travelers,” Joanna Geraghty, CEO of JetBlue, said in a statement. “Our focus is on stepping up in the near term by adding service, maintaining connectivity, and keeping fares competitive, so customers can continue to travel with confidence.”
Spirit’s closure removes nearly 2% of U.S. domestic seats from the market in one fell swoop, schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows. Fort Laurderale was its largest market followed by Orlando International Airport (MCO), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Detroit and Chicago O’Hare.
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Airfares are expected to rise in former Spirit markets as airlines rush to cover elevated fuel costs as a result of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
Wall Street analysts expect Frontier Airlines and JetBlue to be the largest beneficiaries of Spirit’s closure due to their network overlap.
Frontier and JetBlue, as well as American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, are all offering discounted tickets to stranded Spirit passengers.
For JetBlue, the closure opens the door for them to realize their vision of a major connecting base at FLL. The airline has grown there since Spirit began retrenching last summer and will fly nearly 44% more seats from the airport this month compared to May 2025, Cirium schedules show.
Speaking last week prior to Spirit’s collapse, JetBlue president Marty St. George said: “We are so happy with what we’re seeing in Fort Lauderdale.”
He described FLL as the “third leg the stool” in terms of the airline’s route map with its bases at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) the other two legs.
JetBlue, as of Tuesday, planned to grow at FLL to about the size of its BOS base as gates became available, he said. The airline is also seeking space for a new BlueHouse lounge in Terminal 3 at Fort Lauderdale.
The carrier flies roughly 90 daily departures from FLL compared to 130 from Boston, Cirium schedules show.
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