JetBlue readies for battle against Delta with Atlanta-Boston route

JetBlue plans to increase daily flights from Boston by about 40 percent, including new service to Atlanta as the carrier steps up competition with Delta. In addition to the Boston-Atlanta route starting March 30, JetBlue plans to add flights in H2 2017 between the Georgia city and New York’s John F. Kennedy International airport, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Florida, the airline said Wednesday. Delta is based in Atlanta and uses the city as a crucial hub. JetBlue’s plan to expand Boston daily departures to 200 from 140 follows Delta’s mid-August announcement of new routes from the city to San Francisco and Nashville, Tennessee. The New York-based airline’s major presence in Boston and its national brand recognition should increase chances for success in Atlanta compared with an earlier brief tenure there, said Rob Britton, who heads the aviation consulting firm AirLearn. It will face off with Southwest in the city as well as with Delta. “Delta now offers Basic Economy, a lower-tier fare, which they have used effectively to compete with Spirit and other low-cost carriers,” Britton said. “Notwithstanding the recent computer mess, Delta’s reliability is outstanding. So it won’t be easy for JetBlue.”<br/>