Tickets for JetBlue’s inaugural flight from Tallahassee to Fort Lauderdale are on sale now for $99. The low-cost carrier will take off from Tallahassee airport starting January 4, 2024.
The $99 budget fares are significantly lower than what fliers are currently paying to get from Tallahassee to South Florida. A quick search of flights leaving within the next two months are more than $400. A JetBlue flight at it’s basic level is half of that.
The carrier’s introduction into a market with historically high fares is coming as the city of Tallahassee welcomes other major brands such as Amazon, and is working to build an international wing at the airport that can handle more cargo.
The Tallahassee to South Florida route is also important for the many lawmakers and lobbyists who have to get to Tallahassee each year, and for the number of people from South Florida that local estimates project will be moving to the region within the next few years due to the impacts of climate change, insurance and affordability.
The city and county have courted JetBlue for years—and the effort to bring the carrier to Tallahassee has been some eight years in the making. JetBlue and Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey announced the carrier would be setting up in Tallahassee earlier this month. The company is the first airline to come to the area since United left in 2021.
JetBlue is also navigating a merger with fellow low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines and is in the process of creating a hub in South Florida.
