World Cup rentals and JetBlue’s FLL plans. Check these top travel stories

South Florida is at the center of major travel news as World Cup rental demand inceases and JetBlue’s expands its footprint in Fort Lauderdale.

Here’s a quick digest of the top travel stories:

• World Cup rentals booming: Short-term rental reservations in South Florida are increasaing ahead of World Cup matches at Hard Rock Stadium, with the Colombia vs. Portugal match on June 27 driving a 106% booking increase in Miami compared to 2025, according to data analytics firm AirDNA. The Miami-Fort Lauderdale area ranks sixth among all host cities for the tournament.
• JetBlue’s Fort Lauderdale hub: JetBlue is making Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport a hub in 2026, with plans to grow from 108 daily flights to about 150 by February 2027, President Marty St. George told the Miami Herald. The airline has been hiring crew members from the defunct Spirit Airlines and expanding its pilot base at FLL.
• New Caracas route: JetBlue plans to start nonstop flights from Fort Lauderdale to Caracas before the end of the year, marking its first-ever service to Venezuela. The airline would be the third U.S. carrier to resume Venezuela flights following the U.S. military’s removal of Nicolás Maduro in January.

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists.