Low-cost carrier JetBlue Airways Corp. JBLU has decided to operate flights between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Antigua's V.C. Bird International Airport (ANU).
Addition of Antigua to its portfolio marks JetBlue’s 35th destination in the Latin America and Caribbean region. Notably, the carrier will flag off three non-stop weekly flights between these two airports starting Nov 5, 2015. However, approval from the government is still pending on this proposal.
Passengers traveling from JFK to ANU in the Nov 5 to Dec 13 2015 period can avail JetBlue’s promotional fares starting at $199 for a one-way flight. However, passengers traveling post Jun 26, 2015 will not be entitled to any such discount.
JetBlue will fly 150-seat Airbus A320 aircraft on the JFK and ANU route. The Airbus A320 offers more leg space, in-flight entertainment like Hollywood flicks as well as unlimited snacks and soft drinks.
Of late, both Latin America and Caribbean are drawing a significant number of tourists during holiday seasons. Moreover, a wide choice of beaches and resorts in the regions is added attraction for travelers.
Antigua boasts as many as 365 beaches. Further, the launch of winter flights will boost traffic as most travelers from New York prefer flying to beach destinations to avoid the extreme cold during the season.
Earlier, JetBlue had initiated non-stop service between Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The carrier also strengthened its network by connecting cities like Lima, Peru and Bogota in Latin America, and Cartagena and Medellin in Colombia.
JetBlue also plans to offer daily flight service from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and Orlando International Airport (MCO) in Florida to the city of Mexico. Also, JetBlue has announced plans of launching flights between Quito – the capital of Ecuador – and Fort Lauderdale.
Coming to traffic data, JetBlue recently revealed encouraging numbers for the month of May on the back of increased travel demand. Traffic – measured in revenue passenger miles (RPMs) – came in at 3.46 billion, up 8.4% year over year.
Moreover, the load factor or percentage of seats filled by passengers increased to 85.7% from 85.2% in May 2014. Similarly, PRASM (passenger revenue per available seat mile) in the month inched up 1% from the last-year period.
Hence, we believe that increased flight frequencies coupled with low fares will help boost PRASM for JetBlue apart from strengthening the company’s Latin American and Caribbean network.
Other Stocks to Consider
JetBlue currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other favorably-ranked stocks in the related industry are SkyWest Inc. SKYW, Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft DLAKY and Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. HA. Both SkyWest and Deutsche Lufthansa currently sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) while Hawaiian Holdings carries a Zacks Rank #2.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Be the first to comment