Christmas in Latin America aboard Spirit? Or a trip to Long Island on JetBlue? Airlines are taking bookings now

Discount carriers Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways, which are still revamping their business plans after their failed bid to become one airline, are lining up new routes out of South Florida for later this year including fresh forays into New York.

Domestically, South Florida-based Spirit says it plans the region’s only daily nonstop service into Rochester, New York, starting Aug. 14. It is also turning its attention to the Deep South with new service to Birmingham, Alabama, on Oct. 10, a move it announced on Tuesday. An introductory one-way fare for Birmingham is being offered from $69 if travelers book 14 days in advance. The tickets are valid for travel between Oct. 10 and Nov. 19.

In Latin America, where airlines have said passenger traffic has been soft, Spirit said it is returning to Lima, Peru, as well as to the northern Colombian city of Bucaramanga, for the Christmas and New Year’s holiday season. The nonstop daily Lima service will operate from Dec. 4 to Jan. 8, 2025  The nonstop service to Colombia will operate three times weekly during the same period. The flights are available out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

The airline reiterated it is no longer charging passengers fees to change or cancel flights. It also has increased checked bag weight allowances to 50 pounds, and extended the expiration of vouchers for future travel to 12 months for those issued on or after June 3, 2024.

Shorter drive for Long Islanders

JetBlue, which calls New York’s JFK International Airport home, announced last week it will start service from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Palm Beach International airports to Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip, nearly 50 miles to the east of JFK.

The airline will operate four flights weekly from West Palm Beach starting Oct. 24 and from Fort Lauderdale starting Oct. 25. JetBlue also said it will start operating single daily flights out of Orlando International Airport on Oct. 22.

JetBlue will be joining a fairly crowded field at MacArthur, which is also served from South Florida by Southwest Airlines and Frontier Airlines, according to the airport website.

Nonetheless, the airline has been heavily lobbied by local officials to start operations out of Islip, as well as by Senate Majority leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.

“More Long Islanders will be flying to and from MacArthur Airport now that JetBlue will soon begin flights from Islip to Orlando, Palm Beach, and Fort Lauderdale,” he said in a statement. “I have long encouraged JetBlue to start service at LI MacArthur because Long Islanders need increased travel options.”