JetBlue may expand to Worcester, Providence

By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff

Low-cost carrier JetBlue Airways Corp. , the dominant airline at Boston’s Logan International Airport, may expand operations to Worcester and Providence, R.I., even as it plans to boost daily flights out of Logan from the current 100 to 150.

Meeting with reporters after a speech at the Boston College Chief Executives’ Club of Boston, JetBlue chief executive Dave Barger said state officials approached him about operating out of Worcester Regional Airport. “I think Massport has put Worcester on our radar screen,” said Barger, adding that he’d also discussed the idea earlier on Thursday with Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Richard Davey.

Barger also said he’d visited T.F. Green Airport in Providence last weekend to assess its potential as a JetBlue destination. “I think we’re real interested in adding Providence into the region,” Barger said, but added, “ I can’t give you a timeline.”

Barger said that the Providence airport appears well prepared to handle JetBlue flights. “I think we’re real impressed with what we saw with the infrastructure in Providence,” Barger said. By contrast, he said that Worcester Regional Airport needs significant upgrades to improve passenger access and navigational aids. “I mean, it gets a little foggy up there,” Barger said.