Tuesday, December 10, 2013

JetBlue adds service from Chicago to San Juan

JetBlue Airways has begun service from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to San Juan's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU). This new route marks JetBlue's first service to the Caribbean from Chicago.

"There is a strong connection between Chicago and Puerto Rico, with the Windy City being home to the third largest Puerto Rican population in the U.S.," said JetBlue's President and CEO, Dave Barger. "Our new service will connect Chicagoans to sunny San Juan. This new route will provide convenient service and a less expensive option for those seeking to visit friends and family on the island or traveling for business or pleasure."

JetBlue is continuing to grow its presence in Puerto Rico and now offers direct service to 17 destinations from San Juan. According to the company, San Juan will serve as a gateway for customers travelling from Chicago, allowing convenient connections to Caribbean destinations including Punta Cana, Santiago and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and St. Croix, St. Maarten and St. Thomas. Additionally, travelers may connect via San Juan to many other destinations throughout the Caribbean served by JetBlue's partner airlines Cape Air, LIAT, and Seaborne Airlines.

The Puerto Rico Tourism Company welcomed JetBlue's new nonstop flight between San Juan and Chicago, as it will help to bring an additional 150 passengers daily and contribute to broaden the Island's airlift offers. "This will be reflected in a positive economic impact for Puerto Rico as a destination," said Ingrid I. Rivera Rocafort, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.

Destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean now make up 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 carrier. JetBlue currently flies to 17 nonstop destinations from San Juan, 11 of which are within the continental US: Boston, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Hartford, Jacksonville, New York (JFK), Newark, Orlando, Tampa, Washington D.C. (Reagan National) and West Palm Beach, and six within the Caribbean: Punta Cana, Santiago, Santo Domingo, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and St. Croix.

"We are very excited about the continuous increase of routes that serve San Juan through Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport," said Aerostar's CEO, Agustín Arellano. "Without a doubt, JetBlue has been key in this stage of new services and routes and we want to continue working together with the airline to add new routes and benefit all passengers. We are committed to continuing to provide tools and operational conditions to foster the development of new service amongst airlines, which is the case of JetBlue today."

JetBlue's flights between Chicago and San Juan will be operated with its Airbus A320 fleet.

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