Jetblue Airways

JetBlue Airways Corp. was expected to announce today that it would begin flying out of Los Angeles International Airport, with daily nonstop service to Boston and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The service, which is expected to begin in late spring, could help ignite a transcontinental fare war at LAX, especially for flights to Boston. Two carriers -- American and United -- now offer four daily flights from LAX to Boston's Logan International Airport.

Arriba , arriba! The economy remains sluggish, but some airlines are expanding services and celebrating at more than 30,000 feet. Virgin America, the 2-year-old airline based in San Francisco, said Tuesday that it would add nonstop flights from California to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. The airline will begin Nov. 18 with two daily nonstops each from Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport. Not to be outdone, JetBlue Airways announced the same day that it would also add daily nonstop service from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale, beginning Nov. 17. JetBlue has run a daily nonstop between Long Beach Airport and Fort Lauderdale since 2003.

JetBlue Airways, citing frustration with the lack of facility improvements at Long Beach Airport, said Wednesday that it may cease operations at the airport where it began its West Coast expansion and is now the busiest carrier. No specific plan to leave Long Beach has been proposed, but a JetBlue spokeswoman said the airline could consider, among other options, scaling back flights or shifting them to other airports in the region, including Los Angeles International Airport.