Passengers looking to fly to Florida from Albany can do so with two nonstop flight options starting next year.
According to The Daily Gazette flights will be offered to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. Prices and times of the flights were not yet available, but are expected this year.
"We are very excited because it's growth at the airport," John O'Donnell CEO at Albany International Airport said in a statement at a press conference Monday. "Traditionally, the fares of JetBlue are lower than competitors, so as a result fares will go down for other airlines to compete." O'Donnell said in the statement.
Albany International Airport is also home to Southwest Airlines, which JetBlue would compete with.
"With all do respect to our friends at JetBlue, we launched the low-fare revolution. We compete in Albany and will continue to do what we do, which is providing the best value for our customers," Brad Hawkins spokesman at Southwest told The Gazette.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wanted to figure out how JetBlue could come to other airports throughout the state of New York other than New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, LaGuardia, Rochester, Stewart, Newburgh, Syracuse, and Westchester Airport.
"Once people here see JetBlue's quality and once JetBlue sees the great ridership that they will get, I am confident those numbers will expand," Schumer told The Gazette. "This great start will grow."
"New high-tech companies are coming to the Capital Region and existing companies are growing," Schumer told The Gazette. "So all of this is going to be great potential for more growth here in Albany."
With every addition comes the need to increase and change infrastructure which therefore means the airport could get another parking lot.
"Even today we are very close to being out of available parking," O'Donnell told The Gazette. "We park about 4,000 cars per night and we will need to increase that by at least 500 just to handle the traffic JetBlue will be bringing in."
