JetBlue offers $49 winter flights from MacArthur Airport to Fort Myers and Tampa
JetBlue's new flights are expected to run from mid-December through late April. Credit: Jeff Bachner
JetBlue is adding new winter flights from Long Island MacArthur Airport to Fort Myers and Tampa, in Florida, in December, according to an announcement from the airline on Thursday.
The Fort Myers and Tampa routes will launch on Dec. 18 and 19, respectively. There will be four weekly direct flights to Tampa and three to Fort Myers, and prices will start at $49 per ticket. The airline’s announcement described the fees as “limited-time introductory fares.”
JetBlue’s new routes at the Islip Town-owned airport in Ronkonkoma are seasonal and are expected to be available only until late April.
“These routes … combined with existing JetBlue service to Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and West Palm Beach from MacArthur, cement JetBlue’s role as the go-to carrier for Florida-bound travel across the New York metro area,” airline spokesperson Kailee Donoghue said in an email.
The announcement also included new daily flights from Kennedy Airport in Queens to Daytona Beach and Vero Beach beginning on Dec. 4 and Dec. 11, respectively. Those fares will start at $59 for trips to Daytona Beach and $69 for flights to Vero Beach.
The new Kennedy routes are year-round and do not have a set expiration date, according to JetBlue’s website.
The Islip expansion represents JetBlue's fourth and fifth Florida routes from MacArthur Airport since the airline began operating there in October 2024. JetBlue currently offers daily flights from MacArthur to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, according to the airport's website.
"This expansion not only broadens travel options and enhances competition but also ensures affordable and convenient travel from Islip, offering our residents greater opportunities to enjoy Florida's warmth during the winter months," Islip Councilman John Lorenzo told Newsday.
Rob Schneider, Islip's airport commissioner, said in a news release that "these two new routes showcase the strong partnership between [Islip] and JetBlue, providing travelers with more options."
Sam Kmack covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and previously worked as a city watchdog reporter in the Phoenix metro area, as well as an investigative journalist at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting.
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