JetBlue Airways on Tuesday announced it will begin nonstop air service from New York City to Reno this spring.
Flights between Reno-Tahoe International Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport begin May 28, according to a news release.
“A nonstop link between Reno-Tahoe International Airport and New York City is long overdue. JetBlue is pleased to provide the only direct service linking the East Coast to an airport that is the gateway to so many great year-round destinations in the Reno-Tahoe region,” James Hnat, JetBlue’s General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Legal & Government Affairs, said in a statement.
To celebrate the route, JetBlue is offering an introductory fare of $89 one way between May 28 and June 17. Those tickets must be purchased by Wednesday, Jan. 14.
“Landing nonstop daily service on an incredible airline like JetBlue is an example of what this region can do when it works together for a common goal,” Marily Mora, President/CEO of the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority, said in a statement. “We are bringing the Biggest Little City and the Big Apple together. We are bringing JetBlue to the blue waters of Lake Tahoe. It’s a great day for the Reno-Tahoe region.”
Tuesday’s news comes after Reno-Tahoe International Airport and London’s Gatwick Airport struck a deal last November to bring nonstop service beginning Dec. 19, 2015; along with news last October of a new nonstop service to Guadalajara, Mexico, on Volaris Airlines, slated to begin in December 2014.
At the time of the London announcement, Andy Wirth, vice chairman of the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority and CEO of Squaw Valley | Alpine Meadows ski resort, said it marked the first of many new flight routes from key markets coming to the region.
After JetBlue’s announcement Tuesday, Wirth issued a statement, saying the New York route should create an influx of skiers at his and other Tahoe-area ski resorts.
“This flight is the result of a truly collaborative effort in action, which includes elected officials, civic leaders, and private sector leaders from Lake Tahoe and Northern Nevada,” he said. “All of us, and our communities, look forward to welcoming JetBlue to Reno Tahoe.”