By the Caribbean Journal staff

JetBlue is growing again in the Caribbean.

The carrier has announced the planned start of nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands beginning Oct. 25.

The flights will operate daily, according to the company.

West Bay Beach in Grand Cayman.

“As the #1 carrier in Ft. Lauderdale, and building on the momentum of our success in both South Florida and Grand Cayman, we are excited to offer more choice and more destinations to customers with the addition of this new service,” said John Checketts, vice president network planning, JetBlue. “And with even more connecting choices from across our network, Grand Cayman has never been so close.”

The new Fort Lauderdale-Grand Cayman service will add to JetBlue’s existing flights from New York and seasonal flights from Boston.

The terrific Kimpton Seafire in Grand Cayman.

JetBlue will be operating the Grand Cayman flights on 100-seat Embraer 190 aircraft.

JetBlue’s newest route announcement comes as it is facing increased competition on Fort Lauderdale-Caribbean routes from low-cost carriers Southwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines, both of which have been significantly ramping up their regional operations.

Indeed, Southwest Airlines launched daily nonstop Fort Lauderdale-Grand Cayman service last year.