JetBlue Airways Corporation (NASDAQ:JBLU) is now flying nonstop from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Vancouver International Airport (YVR), with the first flight arriving in British Columbia tonight.
“The addition of Vancouver to our route map marks an important milestone for JetBlue as our first Canadian destination,” said Andrea Lusso, vice president of network planning, JetBlue.
Flights to Vancouver from Boston will start on June 16. Unlike New York which will have year-round service, Boston will only be seasonal.
Vancouver joins more than 30 other international destinations in more than two dozen countries that JetBlue flies to.
"We’re delighted that JetBlue has selected Vancouver as its first Canadian destination with service from YVR (Vancouver) to New York City and Boston,” Tamara Vrooman, the president and CEO of the Vancouver Airport Authority said in a news release from 2021.
It’s a move forward for JetBlue, which is currently stuck in a bidding war with Frontier Group Holdings (NASDAQ:ULCC) for Spirit Airlines (NYSE:SAVE). JetBlue made an all-cash $3.6 billion takeover bid in May, which was 33% higher than Frontier’s $2.9 billion offer.
Frontier and Spirit had announced merger plans in February. Spirit postponed the stockholder vote about its merger with Frontier from June 10 to June 30.
Photo: Leonard Zhukovsky via Shutterstock