JetBlue, the New York-based airline, has announced two new routes from Worcester Regional Airport (ORH) in Massachusetts. The statement was released in coordination with the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport). The first route from Worcester, MA, is to Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers, FL, and is launching this upcoming winter. The other destination is Orlando Sanford International Airport (MCO), which is beginning this upcoming summer.
Robin Hayes, the Chief Executive Officer of JetBlue, spoke about the new routes, saying,
“We are proud to introduce even more options to connect our Massachusetts customers to the places they want to fly with more nonstop Florida service from Worcester. Customers can now much more easily travel back and forth to Florida with JetBlue’s low fares and award-winning service, including with daily flights to Fort Myers during the Red Sox Spring Training.”
New routes for Central Massachusetts
These two new routes mean that JetBlue will serve a total of three Florida-based airports from Worcester Regional Airport. The other Florida destination is Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). The Worcester Regional Airport has seen an increase in demand from customers. This is most likely due to the airport’s central location with renovated terminals and curbside drop-off and pick-up. The airport also only charges $7 per day for parking.
Worcester Regional Airport is currently served by three airlines. These three airlines are Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and JetBlue. Between these three major airlines, the Worcester area customers are able to connect directly through New York airports or fly directly to Florida airports as well.
The Sheriff of Worcester County and Chairman of the Massport Board of Directors, Lew Evangelidis, spoke about the strengths of the Worcester Airport, saying,
“Massport’s investments in Worcester Regional Airport have continued to strengthen the robust economy of Central Massachusetts. The return of JetBlue’s Orlando flight and their new service to Fort Myers shows the continued growth and travel demand our region is experiencing, and we are thrilled to provide more options to the traveling public.”
JetBlue returns service to Orlando
The airline is returning service from Worcester to Orlando, which halted service during the COVID-19 pandemic. JetBlue will run the only service between these two cities. The nonstop service, beginning June 15, will be year-round and operate flights daily.
The daily flight will take off from Orlando at 11:05 am and land in Worcester at around 2:00 pm. The return service will take off from Worcester at 2:40 pm and land in Orlando at around 5:45 pm.
Restarting this service solidifies JetBlue’s plans to become Orlando’s national low carrier. If the acquisition of Spirit Airlines by JetBlue is approved, the airline will be looking to have over 200 daily departures from Orlando International Airport by 2027.
New seasonal service for Fort Myers
The service between Worcester and Fort Myers will begin in January 2024. This JetBlue service will begin as a twice-a-week service and operate during the winter only. As the Red Sox Spring Training ramps up in mid-February, the airline will begin offering daily flights. This is in accordance with JetBlue being the official airline of the Boston Red Sox.
Dave Clark, the Head of Revenue and Planning for JetBlue, spoke about this route improving the Red Sox partnership, saying,
“JetBlue is a dedicated member of Red Sox Nation, and we’re proud to extend our support for the team with more options for fans to get down to Fort Myers and cheer on the Sox throughout Spring Training.”
The daily flight for this route will take off from Fort Myers at 12:20 pm and land in Worcester at 3:20 pm. The return service will take off from Worcester at 4:00 pm and land at around 7:00 pm in For Myers.
