JetBlue is launching its first business class service between Fort Lauderdale and San Diego, with daily Mint flights starting on 19 November 2026, alongside extra premium frequencies to Los Angeles and San Francisco this winter.
The move gives UK business travellers who base themselves in South Florida, a popular gateway for firms working across Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean, a lie-flat option all the way to the Californian coast. It also creates the largest Mint schedule JetBlue has ever operated from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
The only business class on the route
The new San Diego service will be the sole business class product between the two cities, a useful gap-filler for travellers heading to the city’s biotech, defence and technology clusters who currently face economy-only nonstops or one-stop itineraries.
Once the winter additions take effect, JetBlue will offer up to eight daily flights between Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles and up to three daily flights between Fort Lauderdale and San Francisco. Mint, the carrier’s premium cabin, features fully lie-flat seats, curated dining and a more personal style of hospitality, and sits above the airline’s EvenMore premium economy-style offering in its cabin line-up.
“Customers in Fort Lauderdale continue to choose JetBlue for a better coast-to-coast experience, and these additions give them even more of what they value most: more flights, more premium options and the comfort of Mint on key West Coast routes,” said Daniel Shurz, senior vice president, revenue, network and enterprise planning, JetBlue. “With new Mint service to San Diego and additional flying to Los Angeles and San Francisco, we’re making it easier for South Florida travelers to get where they want to go with the service, style and value that sets JetBlue apart.”
Fort Lauderdale becomes a serious premium hub
The announcement builds on a year of rapid growth at the airport. JetBlue has increased daily departures from Fort Lauderdale by more than 75 per cent this year and expects to operate around 150 daily flights there by winter, its largest-ever schedule from the airport. Full route details are set out in the airline’s announcement.
For SMEs, the practical benefit is schedule depth. Eight daily Los Angeles frequencies mean a missed meeting or a late finish no longer forces an overnight stay, while the premium cabin makes the roughly five-hour transcontinental sector workable as productive time rather than lost time.
What it means for UK travellers
Fort Lauderdale sits just north of Miami and is increasingly used by UK companies as a cheaper alternative base for Florida and Latin American business. JetBlue has also been expanding its transatlantic network, which means travellers connecting from the UK through the US east coast can now continue to San Diego, Los Angeles or San Francisco in a flat bed rather than an economy seat.
Fares for the new San Diego route are on sale now through JetBlue’s website and app. For UK bookers, the route is likely to appeal most as part of a multi-city US itinerary, pairing east coast meetings with West Coast site visits without sacrificing rest on the longest leg.
