Score one for the passengers: budget airline carrier JetBlue is announcing that they will begin service between LAX and airports in New York and Boston this May. They also have plans to increase service from their Burbank and Long Beach locations, meaning more flights for consumers to choose from, which will increase competition with other carriers (like Southwest) and thereby lower airfares. They'll now be flying to JFK Int'l three times a day, and Boston's Logan Int'l once a day.

City economists are also hoping that the expanded flight service will give a boost to L.A.'s job market:

"This isn't necessarily good news for the competitors, but it's outstanding news for pretty much everyone else because it means more connections to more places," said Gregory Freeman, an economist with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

"The fact that they are expanding simultaneously in Long Beach and Burbank shows that this is positive news for the regional economy because it means more jobs and cheaper flights," Freeman said. "But no doubt, JetBlue will have their work cut out for them."

Photo courtesy of the JetBlue website.