Announcement Includes International and California Flights
JetBlue announced Thursday it will launch five new nonstop destinations at RDU this year, including Cancun, Mexico (CUN), Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ), Fort Myers, FL (RSW) San Juan, PR (SJU) and Los Angeles, CA (LAX). Cancun and Montego Bay are the first international flights to return to RDU since the global health crisis began. The LAX route is JetBlue’s first flight to the West Coast from RDU.
“RDU is extremely fortunate to add new destinations at a time when airports continue to lose airline service,” said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “We are optimistic that passengers will support the new routes by traveling to these warm weather destinations during the winter months.”
The scheduled launch dates are:
November 19:
- Cancun (CUN) – last served in March 2020 by Delta
- Montego Bay (MBJ) – last served in April 2019 by Frontier
- Fort Myers (RSW) – last served in January 2020 by Delta
- San Juan, PR (SJU) – new service for JetBlue, currently also served by Frontier
December 18:
- Los Angeles (LAX) – last served in April 2019 by Delta and American Airlines
JetBlue has operated at RDU since 2006 and is well known to RDU business travelers for its frequent flights to the Boston and New York markets. JetBlue also serves leisure travelers visiting South Florida or connecting through Ft. Lauderdale to 25 Latin American and Caribbean destinations.
JetBlue’s announcement follows plans from American Airlines to resume nonstop service to LAX in November, and to London and Cancun this fall. Delta Air Lines intends to restart its nonstop flight to Los Angeles in October and its nonstop flight to Paris in spring 2021. Allegiant will resume nonstop service to Punta Gorda, FL (PGD) in October. Air Canada plans to resume its Toronto and Montreal flights from RDU once international travel restrictions are lifted.
Travelers to international destinations should check with their airline before departure to learn about any travel requirements in the country they are visiting.