Yesterday I stood behind a chain-link fence in the Florida sun with a couple hundred other nerds, retirees, and local officials, waiting for a blue airplane to do something historic.
At 12:11 p.m., JetBlue Flight 1715 from JFK kissed the runway at Vero Beach Regional Airport (VRB) and, just like that, this sleepy little field on Florida’s Treasure Coast officially became a two-airline airport for the first time in its 95-year history.
The crowd erupted like we’d just witnessed a moon landing. Mayor John Cotugno (rocking the brightest safety vest I’ve ever seen) popped champagne on the tarmac. Passengers stepped off to leis, handshakes, and a brass band that was mercifully brief. Someone handed out donuts. It was pure, unfiltered small-town aviation joy.
I’ve been obsessed with Vero Beach’s airport comeback for the last three years, ever since Breeze Airways shocked everyone by launching service here in 2023. Back then people laughed: “Vero Beach? The place with the Dodgers spring training and the retirees? Good luck.”
Fast-forward to yesterday and the joke’s on the doubters. JetBlue is now flying daily A220s to Boston and A320s to JFK. American Airlines starts Charlotte in February. That’s three legacy/low-cost hybrids serving a city of 18,000 people who, until recently, had to drive 70 miles to either Palm Beach or Orlando if they wanted anything resembling real airline service.
Why does this matter? Because VRB is the perfect case study in how the post-pandemic airline map is being redrawn.
- Breeze proved there was latent demand from the Northeast snowbirds and second-home owners.
- JetBlue saw Breeze’s load factors and said “we can do that, but bigger.”
- American looked at both and decided Charlotte connectivity was the missing piece.
Suddenly a town best known for quiet beaches and zero traffic now has nonstops to the three biggest hubs in the Northeast (JFK, BOS, CLT). That’s transformative for real-estate prices, tourism, and (let’s be honest) my own personal convenience when I want to visit my parents without renting a car in Orlando.
A few moments from yesterday that will stick with me:
- The passenger from California who normally flies into PBI and drives 90 minutes north telling me, “This is huge. HUGE.”
- The woman from Okeechobee who jokingly asked if being first to check in for the return flight came with a prize. (It didn’t, but she got a high-five from the mayor.)
- Watching the JetBlue VP of government affairs, visibly moved, say “Every airport is unique, and I think we have opportunities here.” Translation: “We think this is going to make money.”
Oh, and the inbound from JFK was only 22 minutes late. In 2025, that basically counts as on-time.
I’ve been blogging about obscure airport stories for years, but rarely do you get to watch one unfold in real time. Vero Beach just turned the page from “former naval air station with a lot of private jets” to “legit commercial alternative for half the state.”
Next milestone: when someone finally builds a hotel with a walkway to the terminal. Until then, I’ll keep driving the 12 minutes from downtown, parking for free (yes, free), walking 50 yards to security, and reminding myself that this golden age of small-airport flying actually exists.
Welcome to the big leagues, Vero. The champagne’s on ice for American in February Blue skies
Written By Ben Bryk Coldwell Banker Global Luxury
