I can't figure the logic, given the current state of air travel and the cutthroat competition on coast-to-coast routes, but JetBlue's new twice-daily service between New York and Los Angeles International starts on Wednesday with an inaugural flight from Kennedy to LAX.
JetBlue announced the new service last February, along with flights between LAX and Boston, also twice a day.
The roundtrip, non-stop walk-up fare on JetBlue Kennedy-LAX, with travel this week, is listed at $699 on Orbitz, the same fare as United's and nearly the same as American's (at $706). Virgin America's is $799.
For advance-purchase travel in mid-July, Virgin America has a $319 non-stop roundtrip fare, as does Delta. United is $326, JetBlue is $334, American is $349.
So JetBlue has not demonstrated a positive fare differential on the new route, and for advance-purchase travel, Virgin America (which has been trying to develop a comparable market brand to JetBlue) is lower.
I'd look for a JetBlue flash fare-sale soon to prime that pump.
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By JOE SHARKEY
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