On Friday, JetBlue announced that it was officially launching service to Los Cabos International Airport (SJD). The first roundtrip service to the popular Mexican leisure destination from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) landed on Thursday, while the service from New York JFK took place on Friday morning. Both services will operate daily.
“With demand for travel the strongest it’s been in more than a year, our new nonstop flights between the East and West Coasts and Los Cabos are perfectly timed for customers looking for a much-needed escape this summer,” – Andrea Lusso, VP Network Planning, JetBlue, via statement.
Pent-up leisure demand
Los Cabos International Airport serves two popular Mexican tourist destinations: Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. With travel continuing to open up and ‘normal’ returning slowly to much of the country, JetBlue is looking to capture some pent-up leisure demand from customers who may not have traveled in months.
“JetBlue’s new direct routes to Los Cabos are evidence of the destination’s resilience and loyalty from our American travelers, which make up for 80% of all international travelers,” notes Rodrigo Esponda, Managing Director of Los Cabos Tourism Board. Esponda adds that the LAX and JFK routes will “further help Los Cabos to be more competitive in these markets and offer non-stop accommodations to leisure and corporate travelers looking for a one-of-a-kind travel experience.”
An LAX spokesperson notes that JetBlue’s new route to Los Cabos “comes at the perfect time, as travelers are ready to return to the skies this summer.” The airport is ‘thrilled’ to have JetBlue as a partner.
The flight details are as follows:
- Flight B61463 from Los Angeles to Los Cabos will depart LAX daily at 15:15 and arrive at 18:43.
- Flight B6939 from New York to Los Cabos will depart JFK daily at 17:20 most days. On Saturdays, it appears that the service will depart later, at 17:55. The flight will arrive at 21:20, except for Saturdays when it arrives at 21:55.
With demand for travel returning, JetBlue says that its flying is expected to increase by 3% over 2019 in October. This will include some 40 new routes set to launch in the coming months.
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Using the Airbus A320
Indeed, flying daily from Los Angeles and New York, the airline will operate its two newly-launched Los Cabos routes using its Airbus A320 aircraft. The airline notes that these jets will offer “award-winning service” and include the most legroom in economy, free inflight WiFi, and “complementary and unlimited name-brand snacks and soft drinks.” Free, live DIRECTV® programming is also available at every seat.
JetBlue has two different configurations for its Airbus A320s:
- 150 seats: 42 seats with extra pitch (38-39 inches) and 108 seats with 34 inches of pitch.
- 162 seats: 42 seats with extra pitch (35-38 inches) and 120 seats with 32 inches of pitch.
A competitive market
On the west coast, JetBlue is entering an already competitive market, with multiple airlines offering direct services to SJD from LAX. The airline says that serving Los Cabos from LA and New York allows it to better compete with legacy and ultra-low-cost carriers.
“…our newest international destination grows our presence in Latin America and helps further our network strategies in the Northeast and Southern California,” JetBlue’s Vice President of network planning notes, via statement.
Indeed, on the west coast, these are the airlines that will go head-to-head with JetBlue:
- Spirit
- Delta Air Lines
- United Airlines
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
Will you be headed to Los Cabos any time soon? And would JetBlue be your airline of choice? Or would you prefer another carrier? Let us know in the comments.
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