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U.S. Department of Transportation

JetBlue founder's Brazil airline now selling U.S. flights

Ben Mutzabaugh
USA TODAY
An undated image of an Azul Airbus A330.

Brazilian carrier Azul is now selling seats for its first flights to the United States. That comes after the airline, launched by JetBlue founder David Neeleman, received approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation and from the Federal Aviation Administration to commence sales for its upcoming routes to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.

Azul's Florida flights will operate out of Sao Paulo's Campinas International Airport. Daily service to Fort Lauderdale is set to begin Dec. 2 while daily flights to Orlando will launch Dec. 15. Azul will fly the routes with Airbus A330-200 wide-body aircraft.

"Azul is the one airline that truly serves all of Brazil. With 104 destinations throughout the country, Azul unites Brazil with convenient and frequent connections from Campinas," Neeleman says in his role as Azul's CEO. "We now look forward to providing U.S. customers with our superior service on international flights, just as we have been doing today on our 850 daily domestic flights."

"We're excited to share the Azul experience with new customers internationally and expand the airline's success story beyond Brazil's borders," Neeleman adds in the statement.

David Neeleman, with thumbs up, poses for a picture with an Azul Airlines model airplane at a news conference in Sao Paulo to announce the new airline on May 28, 2008.

The launch of the Fort Lauderdale flights will mark Azul's first foray into international service. It will also mark Neeleman's return to the U.S. market, something that comes nearly 15 years after JetBlue's inaugural flight from New York JFK to Fort Lauderdale in February 2000.

In a statement detailing the launch of Florida ticket sales, Azul noted the carrier's U.S. customers would "fly in and out of Azul's brand new $1.5 billion terminal at Sao Paulo/Campinas airport, strategically located 60 minutes from the city."

Azul has developed the Campinas airport into its biggest hub, with the carrier flying 175 daily flights to 55 destinations. Azul notes that its Florida customers will be able to connect "to popular destinations including Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia and Iguazu Falls."

Azul began flying in 2008 and is now Brazil's third-biggest carrier, behind TAM and Gol.

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