More Flight Options at Southeast Airports

Three airlines now have access to airports' runways thanks to some shuffling by major carriers. As the weather warms up, those looking to fly from Baltimore to Florida or Florida to California get better options for flying the friendly skies. Virgin America, Southwest and JetBlue have some of the best services at these new locations.

Starting Aug. 19, 2010, Virgin America will fly daily, nonstop, from both Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport to Orlando International Airport. Starting at a mere $149 one-way, this is nothing but good news. Virgin Airlines had a reputation for excellent service, clean cabins and in-flight coolness, before it crossed the pond. With violet colored cabin lighting and super chill pre-flight music, traveling with Virgin is like being in a trendy mellow night club in the sky. The British company has watched its American air fleet grow by almost one-third since taking off here in 2007.

Southwest, long known for its low rates, and casual spirit, now has more loops between Florida and Maryland. Additional daily departures are being added to Baltimore-Washington Airport and Tampa International Airport. And, as most travelers know, Tampa is the Baltimore of the South. Flights to Panama City Beach, FL, which was one of 2010's top three Spring Break destinations, begin May 23rd.

According to Reuters, JetBlue has wanted access to Reagan International Airport, but has never been allowed access. Now a pending deal could change all that - again more good news. JetBlue is an equal opportunity flight host, which means everyone gets to enjoy their plush leather-like wide seats and leg room. Under the new plan, JetBlue gets five round-trip flights in and out of Reagan. Previously, if you wanted to fly JetBlue out the D.C. area, you had to trek out to Dulles International Airport 25 miles away.

To stay on top of these airlines' breaking news, and to get first-access alerts about their fire sales, follow them on Twitter. JetBlue is called JetBlueCheeps and occasionally posts alerts about $10 flights to JFK. For a little more personality tweeting, look to @SouthwestAir. From extra peanut offerings to magazine swaps at the gate, the gal producing these feeds is actually a daughter of one of their former pilots. Virgin America has a range of sales and random chat going on. They are now encouraging tweeting with a British accent from 35,000 feet.