New JetBlue, Spirit Service to Latin America

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Low-cost carriers JetBlue and Spirit have announced new connections between the U.S. and Central and South America. Each airline is taking a slightly different approach, but the net effect is more service to popular and up-and-coming destinations.

Just as JetBlue has interline agreements with Lufthansa and Aer Lingus to Europe, it has now expanded south with an interline agreement with LAN Airlines, one of Latin America’s largest airline groups. The idea here is that customers can book a single ticket to any of LAN’s destinations (including Santiago or Easter Island, Chile; and Lima, Peru) from any JetBlue departure city, connect via New York’s JFK airport, and fly the domestic portion of the trip on JetBlue and the international leg on a LAN carrier. According to JetBlue, “In the coming weeks, customers will be able to purchase JetBlue-LAN travel via the GDS, online travel agencies, and by calling LAN reservations or visiting LAN.com.”

Spirit, meanwhile, has announced new service between Ft. Lauderdale and Toluca International Airport, about 25 miles from Mexico City, starting on June 3. According to Ben Mutzabaugh over at Today in the Sky, the airline also has plans to launch service between Ft. Lauderdale and San Salvador, El Salvador, on June 13.

Do these announcements inspire new travel plans for you?