JetBlue Airways returned to central Ohio on Tuesday, November 3, operating its first flight from John Glenn Columbus International Airport in more than 18 years. The Columbus Dispatch reported that the airline’s first Columbus departure flew to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, marking JetBlue’s return after its last Columbus flight in 2008. The service gives Franklin County travelers a daily nonstop option to South Florida.
JetBlue confirmed the launch in a release issued through Business Wire, saying daily nonstop service began from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on November 2 and from Columbus beginning November 3. The Columbus route departs from Concourse C at John Glenn Columbus, according to a Columbus Regional Airport Authority press release cited by The Columbus Dispatch. Published schedules for the route list an evening departure from Fort Lauderdale and an early-morning departure from Columbus, and JetBlue notes that schedules may vary.
The flights operate on JetBlue’s Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said in its Business Wire release. Fort Lauderdale is a growing hub for JetBlue, and the airline said it expects to operate more than 150 daily departures to 61 nonstop destinations from Fort Lauderdale this winter, its largest-ever schedule there.
The Columbus Dispatch reported that the new route is one of several JetBlue announced to help fill air travel gaps left after Spirit Airlines ceased operations in May. Through Fort Lauderdale, Columbus passengers can connect onward to destinations across the Caribbean and Latin America. The Dispatch, citing the airport authority, noted connections that include Aruba, Montego Bay, Nassau, Cali, Cartagena and Guatemala City, along with dozens of other nonstop routes from Fort Lauderdale.
“This new flight builds on our mission of connecting Ohio with the world, offering more options and more flexibility than ever before,” Columbus Regional Airport Authority president and CEO Daren Griffin said in a prepared statement reported by The Columbus Dispatch. JetBlue’s own leadership made a similar point in the airline’s Business Wire release. “We’re excited to introduce JetBlue to Indianapolis and welcome Columbus back to our network,” Daniel Shurz, JetBlue’s senior vice president of revenue, network and enterprise planning, said in that release.
For central Ohio travelers, the immediate impact is choice. The route restores a nonstop link to South Florida ahead of the winter travel season and adds another major carrier option at John Glenn Columbus. To mark the launch, JetBlue offered limited one-way fares between Fort Lauderdale and Columbus starting at $59, available at jetblue.com for booking by November 3, the airline said in its release. The promotional fares applied to travel from January 6 through March 17, 2027, excluded Friday and Saturday travel, and carried blackout dates in January and February.
What happens next is daily service. With the inaugural Columbus departure completed, the route is scheduled to run every day in both directions, and tickets remain on sale through JetBlue’s website and app. Travelers should check JetBlue directly for current times, fares and baggage rules, since the airline notes its schedule may vary.
Photo: formulanone, CC BY-SA 2.0