Spirit Airlines is gone, and JetBlue is moving fast to absorb the disruption. The carrier announced a package of measures targeting stranded Spirit customers, displaced crew members, and the route gaps left behind — with Fort Lauderdale at the center of the response.
For travelers with active Spirit bookings, JetBlue is offering $99 one-way rescue fares on matching routes through May 6, available by calling 1-800-JETBLUE with proof of a valid Spirit itinerary. Beyond the rescue window, the airline is capping Blue Basic fares at $299 on nonstop routes to and from Fort Lauderdale and San Juan that Spirit previously served, applying to new bookings through May 8 for travel in that same window.
The longer play is Fort Lauderdale. JetBlue, already the airport’s largest carrier, is adding 11 new city pairs and boosting frequency on existing routes, targeting nearly 130 daily departures this summer — more than 75% above its 2025 operation there. New nonstops include Baltimore, Charlotte, Nashville, Detroit, Houston, Chicago, and Indianapolis, plus Colombian destinations Barranquilla and Cali launching in the fall. The expansion builds directly on Spirit’s former footprint in South Florida, one of the ultra-low-cost carrier’s heaviest markets.
Spirit crew members get some relief too. JetBlue is extending jumpseat access for Spirit pilots and flight attendants for two weeks and has signaled it will open interview pipelines for qualified applicants.
For travelers who relied on Spirit’s bare-bones pricing on Florida and Caribbean routes, the transition will cost more regardless of fare caps — JetBlue’s product is materially different, and the competitive pressure Spirit provided is now gone. But for anyone already stranded or scrambling to rebook, the response is substantive. New routes go on sale May 4 at jetblue.com.