JetBlue

JetBlue to launch flights between New York-JFK and Cleveland in March 2026

JetBlue will directly compete with American Airlines and Delta Air Lines on its new flights from New York-JFK to Cleveland.

Photo: JetBlue

JetBlue has announced that it will begin flights between New York and Cleveland in March 2026, launching a daily flight on a route that it has never served on a scheduled basis since it began operations in 2000.

On December 30, 2025, JetBlue said that from March 30, 2026, the airline will begin offering a daily flight between New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE).

Tickets are already on sale, with the airline’s booking engine showing that the inaugural flight will be operated with an Airbus A220-300, which has 20 of the airline’s EvenMore, or premium economy, seats. The other 120 seats are all economy class, including five rows of Preferred and two rows of extra legroom seats.

Dave Jehn, the Vice President of Network Planning and Airline Partnerships at JetBlue, said that with the launch of the airline’s new route, New York will become another JetBlue gateway for Clevelanders and those living in Northeast Ohio.

“With our new route, Cleveland customers can choose what works best for them, unlocking even more access to JetBlue’s growing leisure network.”

According to Cirium’s Diio Mi, JetBlue has never flown between JFK or any other airport in the New York area to CLE. In 2015, the airline launched double-daily and daily flights from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL) to CLE, respectively.

During the pandemic, the airline had begun offering flights from Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) to CLE, ending the route on July 5, 2021, while departures between FLL and CLE concluded on May 3, 2022.

JetBlue has continued to fly between BOS and CLE, including 13 weekly departures in December. In 2026, the airline will have up to daily (January and February), 11 weekly (March), double-daily (between April and August), 20 weekly (September and October), and 13 weekly (November) departures on the BOS-CLE route.

However, the airline will face some competition on the route from New York. Cirium’s Diio Mi showed that American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines have scheduled a fair share of flights between New York’s airports and CLE in 2026, including United Airlines offering up to seven daily departures from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to CLE throughout 2026, at least up until November 2026.

While both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines also fly between New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and CLE, they also offer flights from JFK to CLE. Per Cirium’s Diio Mi, during the summer, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines will offer up to double-daily and triple-daily departures between JFK and CLE, respectively.

Cirium’s Diio Mi, compiling data from the Department of Transportation (DOT), showed that so far this year, with the latest data available until September, American Airlines’ average load factors on the JFK-CLE route have been 65.53%, while Delta Air Lines’ have been 70.69%.

At the same time, the two airlines have scheduled to fly the JFK-CLE route with regional jets, either the Embraer E175 or Mitsubishi (née Bombardier) CRJ900, potentially providing a passenger experience advantage for JetBlue.

JetBlue has also recently opened its lounge at JFK, enabling it to cater to more premium and business travelers. The airline’s flights to CLE are scheduled to depart JFK at 21:45 local time (UTC -4), and arrive at CLE at 23:55, while the return flight leaves CLE at 6:00 and lands at JFK at 7:40.

However, the schedules are subject to change, the carrier warned.