North Texas travelers got a blue Christmas present on Wednesday as JetBlue Airways announced that it will launch service at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport in May.
The low-cost airline said it will fly three daily round-trip flights between DFW and Boston using a 100-seat Embraer 190 aircraft, with the first flight May 1. Tickets will go on sale Tuesday, but JetBlue didn't disclose the initial fare."We're excited to bring our Boston customers what they've been asking for -- more options for their business and leisure travel to Dallas/Fort Worth," said Dennis Corrigan, vice president of sales and revenue management.The new service was announced shortly after DFW's largest carrier, American Airlines, entered bankruptcy. American controls 85 percent of the flights out of DFW.Several new airlines have started serving North Texas passengers this year. Virgin America, Qantas Airways and Spirit Airlines added flights at DFW, and Emirates Airlines plans to launch a nonstop flight to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from DFW in February.AirTran Airways recently stopped its DFW service after merging with Southwest Airlines."We are pleased to welcome an innovative and respected carrier such as JetBlue, and we are confident DFW travelers will enjoy the great service, flight options and low fares that JetBlue provides," airport CEO Jeff Fegan said.The airport added nine international and 10 domestic destinations in the fiscal year that ended Oct. 1.Although its main carrier, American, has lost money and seen passenger traffic decline slightly at DFW, other airlines are growing their networks. DFW is an appealing market because it has so many business travelers, said FareCompare.com founder Rick Seaney."At least a few of them believe that economic times are going to get better," Seaney said. "These kinds of airlines aren't legacy airlines so they are not in contraction mode, and they need to find some spots where they can make some money and they're willing to test out markets like DFW."JetBlue is likely to offer an introductory promotional fare with its DFW-Boston service, so North Texas travelers should benefit from a small fare war on that route. Seaney said DFW-Boston fares average around $350 with an advance purchase.When Virgin America added DFW-Los Angeles and DFW-San Francisco routes, average fares dropped from the mid-$300s to their current average of $220, he said.Andrea Ahles, 817-390-7631Twitter: @Sky_TalkHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
