JetBlue: Mexico City non-stops now on sale from NYC, Boston

Ben Mutzabaugh | USA TODAY

JetBlue’s new routes to Mexico City from New York JFK and Boston are now on sale, the carrier announced Thursday.

The routes – each set to launch on Oct. 25 – will complement JetBlue’s existing service to Mexico City that it offers from both Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. On the new routes from Boston and New York, JetBlue will offer one daily round-trip flight on Airbus A320 aircraft.

“Mexico City, the second largest city in the Americas and the largest city JetBlue flies to, is critically important as we continue to grow our footprint in Latin America and provide travelers with the award-winning JetBlue experience and low fares,” Giselle Cortes, JetBlue’s international cities chief, said in a statement.

JetBlue acquired the slots add flights to Mexico City’s capacity-controlled airport in 2017, part of a divestiture made there by Aeromexico and Delta as those airlines sought regulatory approval for a joint-venture partnership.

FlightGlobal notes JetBlue originally planned to use its expanded Mexico City access from Long Beach, California. However, JetBlue was forced to abandon that plan after the Long Beach City Council voted against a Customs facility for international flights. (More: JetBlue shocked by Long Beach rejection of international flights | JetBlue adds three new cities in West, but trims at Long Beach)

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JetBlue then proposed moving the Mexico City flights to Los Angeles, where it would have faced direct competition from as many as seven other airlines (Aeromexico, Alaska, American, Delta, Interjet, Volaris and United).

Eventually, JetBlue opted to seek regulatory approval to instead shift the Mexico City to its Northeast hubs at New York JFK and Boston, according to FlightGlobal.

However, JetBlue also will square off against numerous competitors in New York. Four airlines already fly to Mexico City from JFK (Aeromexico, Delta, Interjet and Volaris) while a fifth (VivaAerobus) plans to begin service in mid-October. United also flies to Mexico City from its hub at nearby Newark.

From Boston, JetBlue’s Boston-Mexico City service will go head-to-head with Aeromexico’s existing non-stop flights.

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