* JetBlue offering $99 direct flights out of Florida
* Price cap in effect would impose max fare of $159 on connections
* American Airlines and Delta also capping prices
JetBlue is doing its part to help Florida residents evacuate ahead of Hurricane Irma, offering direct flights for as low as $99 from every Florida city it operates in. The airline has also imposed a price cap through September 13, that would make all of JetBlue’s Florida connecting flights no more than $159. Flights in the eastern Caribbean and in the western Caribbean are also under a fare ceiling.
“We want those trying to leave ahead of the hurricane to focus on their safe evacuation rather than worry about the cost of flights,” JetBlue spokesman Doug McGraw said.
American Airlines, which has a major hub operating out of Miami, said it has capped the price of main cabin seats on single leg flights at $99. Delta, meantime, says it won’t charge more than $399 for tickets on all flights to and from southern Florida and the Caribbean.
Book: American Airlines Flights / Book: Delta Flights
Florida remains under a state of emergency as Irma, packing winds of up to 185 miles per hour is expected to hit landfall in the United States over the weekend.
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JetBlue is also waiving fees and fare increases for previously booked flights from the affected areas. Here is the airline’s full statement:
Due to the impending weather forecasted in the Caribbean and Florida regions, we will waive fees and increases in fare for customers within the parameters below.
Eastern Caribbean
Customers traveling Tuesday, September 5, 2017 through Thursday, September 7, 2017 to/from:
Aguadilla, Puerto Rico (BQN)
Antigua (ANU)
Ponce, Puerto Rico (PSE)
San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU)
St. Croix (STX)
St. Maarten (SXM)
St. Thomas (STT)
Customers may rebook their flights for travel through Monday, September 11, 2017 online in the ‘Manage Flights’ section of jetblue.com or by calling 1-800-JETBLUE (538-2583) prior to the departure time of their originally scheduled flight. Customers with cancelled flights may also opt for a refund to the original form of payment. Original travel must have been booked on or before Monday, September 4, 2017.
Western Caribbean
Customers traveling Wednesday, September 6, 2017 through Friday, September 8, 2017 to/from:
Puerto Plata, DR (POP)
Punta Cana, DR (PUJ)
Santo Domingo, DR (SDQ)
Santiago, DR (STI)
Havana, Cuba (HAV)
Santa Clara, Cuba (SNU)
Camaguey, Cuba (CMW)
Holguin, Cuba (HOG)
Providenciales, Turks & Caicos (PLS)
Nassau, Bahamas (NAS)
Customers may rebook their flights for travel through Monday, September 11, 2017 online in the ‘Manage Flights’ section of jetblue.com or by calling 1-800-JETBLUE (538-2583) prior to the departure time of their originally scheduled flight. Customers with cancelled flights may also opt for a refund to the original form of payment. Original travel must have been booked on or before Tuesday, September 5, 2017.
Florida region
Customers traveling Wednesday, September 6, 2017 through Sunday, September 10, 2017 to/from:
Daytona Beach, FL (DAB)
Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)
Jacksonville, FL (JAX)
Fort Myers, FL (RSW)
Orlando, FL (MCO)
Sarasota, FL (SRQ)
Tampa, FL (TPA)
West Palm Beach, FL (PBI)
Customers may rebook their flights for travel through Tuesday, September 12, 2017 online in the ‘Manage Flights’ section of jetblue.com or by calling 1-800-JETBLUE (538-2583) prior to the departure time of their originally scheduled flight. Customers with cancelled flights may also opt for a refund to the original form of payment. Original travel must have been booked on or before Tuesday, September 5, 2017.
JetBlue’s efforts come amidst reports of airline price gouging, with travelers accusing airlines of unfairly jacking up prices to take advantage of desperate passengers. JetBlue has also announced that they are waiving change and cancel fees for customers affected by Hurricane Harvey in Houston.
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