JetBlue Airways Corp. will offer nonstop flights from Jacksonville International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport and Raleigh-Durham International Airport beginning in early 2021.
The Jacksonville Aviation Authority announced the West Coast and North Carolina state capital destinations in a news release Dec. 17.
JetBlue’s daily nonstop service to LAX will start March 4 via a 162-seat Airbus A320, according to JAA.
The flights will depart Jacksonville at 5 p.m. and arrive at LAX at 7:49 p.m. local time, according to the news release.
The JetBlue website shows fares as low as $78 one way.
The return flight will depart Los Angeles at 8 a.m. and arrive in Jacksonville at 3:33 p.m.
Securing nonstop West Coast destinations has been one of JAA CEO Mark VanLoh’s goals since he was named the administration’s chief executive in November 2018.
“We worked 12 years to restore the JAX-LAX route since losing it as a result of the 2008 financial crisis,” VanLoh said in the news release. “Not only is Los Angeles one of our largest unserved destinations, we are one of theirs as well. This is a huge win.”
VanLoh said that Northeast Florida travelers must show the demand for the Los Angeles nonstop flight if it is going to be successful.
“Getting the service was our first challenge. Keeping it here and growing the route is the second,” VanLoh said. “That means it’s imperative travelers support the JAX-LAX nonstop.”
JetBlue’s Raleigh-Durham nonstop flights begin Feb. 11 and will be offered four times per week. The airline will use a 100-seat Embraer E-190 departing Jacksonville at 12:50 p.m. and arriving about 2:15 p.m.
Flights from Raleigh-Durham will depart at 10:30 a.m. and arrive in Jacksonville at 12:02 p.m.
“Raleigh-Durham and the Research Triangle are a bright spot in North Carolina’s economy and a market JetBlue seems intent on expanding,” VanLoh said. “We look forward to their service connecting our two wonderful communities.”
New York-based JetBlue announced the nonstop flights from Jacksonville Dec. 17 as part of the airline’s plan to add four destinations to the company’s offerings and a broader strategy to add 24 new nonstop routes in the first half of 2021.