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JetBlue Airways Corp. will launch service from Port Columbus International Airport to JFK International Airport on Oct. 3 with four daily flights Monday through Saturday and three flights on Sundays. On Oct. 18, it will begin serving Boston's Logan International Airport with one daily flight.JetBlue spokesman Todd Burke said Port Columbus is one of 14 markets the JFK-based airline will add to its schedule this year.
"We look for routes that are underserved and overpriced," he said.
The highest one-way fare for a last-minute, walk-up ticket between Port Columbus and JFK is $649, he said, but will cost $199 on JetBlue. The highest fare between Boston and Columbus is $976, he said, versus JetBlue's $209.
Advanced purchase tickets to JFK and Boston will begin at $89 and $99, respectively, he said. Introductory fares purchased by July 24 for travel before mid-November are $10 less.
Port Columbus spokeswoman Angie Tabor said the Columbus Regional Airport Authority will grant JetBlue a year's free lease on a gate at Port Columbus and will waive landing fees for the same periods as an incentive for the new carrier. She did not immediately have a value of the fee waivers. But Tabor called the incentives "quite substantial."
As a new carrier, she said the airline also will receive $75,000 to spend on marketing the new service.
"Jet Blue is highly regarded for their customer service and low fares," Tabor said. "We're excited to have them join the other fine carriers at the airport."
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