Jet Blue not worried about mergers..Focusing on South America.

US low-fare carrier JetBlue Airways is exploring growth options into South America with destinations in Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela all under consideration following the success of its flights to the Caribbean and more recently into Colombia. Although perhaps best known for its activities at its main US hubs of New York and Boston, the carrier is also the largest commercial operator in the Dominican Republic while it also has focus city operations from San Juan in Puerto Rico. Following this success, the next step is likely to see further growth across Latin American markets and the expansion of the JetBlue network further south. “There are probably four or five key markets in this part of the world that we would seriously consider but it is difficult to pinpoint them and any timescale for development,” said John Checketts, Director of network planning. “Brazil obviously is of great interest and Manaus and Recife would be options for us, while Ecuador and Venezuela are also possible markets as well as the entire Central American region and markets like Guatemala, Panama and Nicaragua.”