JetBlue Airways began flying to Charleston International Airport on Thursday, adding its 76th city and its first in South Carolina.

The New York-based airline is operating two daily nonstop round trips between Charleston and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and one between Charleston and Boston Logan International Airport, according to JetBlue. All the flights use the airline’s 100-seat Embraer E190 jets.

Morning and afternoon flights leave JFK at 8 a.m. and 2:59 p.m., and return flights leave Charleston at 10:40 a.m. and 6:12 p.m., according to the schedule JetBlue published Thursday. The daily Boston flight leaves Charleston at 12:45 p.m.

“We couldn’t be more excited about adding Charleston to our growing network, and we look forward to connecting our newest city to New York and Boston with the best product and service in the skies,” Chief Operating Officer Rob Maruster said in the airline’s announcement.

A second Boston flight

JetBlue said the reception in Charleston has been strong enough that it will add a second Boston flight, on Saturdays only, beginning April 6.

To mark the launch, the airline is selling one-way fares from $79 from JFK and $140 from Boston through March 10, for travel between March 19 and May 22, with blackout dates. Its JetBlue Getaways vacation unit is offering three-night Charleston packages from $299 a person from New York and $429 from Boston, based on double occupancy.

The Charleston County Aviation Authority, which runs the airport, said in January that the service would be the first time JetBlue had offered flights in South Carolina.

Months in the making

JetBlue announced the route Sept. 12 and put tickets on sale Sept. 20, with introductory fares from $76.

“We are pleased to welcome South Carolina into our growing route network, and we believe the addition of the region’s only full-size jet service to the Northeast will foster even more loyal fans of JetBlue throughout the state,” JetBlue President and CEO Dave Barger said when the route was announced.

Members of South Carolina’s congressional delegation praised the route at the time. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said he had made the case for the city to the airline.

“I made it clear in my conversations with JetBlue that not only is Charleston a wonderful destination, it is also a great place to do business,” Graham said in JetBlue’s September announcement.

Joel Antolini, a senior vice president of Seabury Airline Planning Group, described the pitch in the same announcement.

“As always, the JetBlue team was great to work with in the market exploration process, and when we laid the story out to them they quickly grasped the power and benefits of combining two premier brands like Charleston and JetBlue,” Antolini said. “The market is going to eat this service up.”

What local leaders expect

South Carolina House Speaker Bobby Harrell put a number on the addition.

“The addition of yet another top-notch airline servicing the Charleston Region, and the 100,000 new annual airline seats JetBlue brings, gives us a real reason to celebrate,” Harrell said in JetBlue’s announcement Thursday. He credited “several recruiting trips by folks like Helen Hill and the Charleston Visitors Bureau” for building the relationship with the airline.

JetBlue is also the official airline of the Charleston Wine + Food Festival, which opens Thursday.

“We can now, thanks to JetBlue’s daily service to the Charleston International Airport, say that Charleston has blue in its sky 365 days a year,” said Frank Fredericks, managing director of Wild Dunes Resort and chairman of the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Another low-fare option

JetBlue arrives two years after Southwest Airlines began flying from Charleston in March 2011, according to Southwest’s securities filings.

JetBlue serves 76 cities with about 750 daily flights, according to the company. It plans to begin service to Albuquerque, N.M., and Philadelphia later this year, along with Medellin, Colombia, pending government approval.

The airline’s flights from Charleston feature leather seats with no middle seat, a free first checked bag and live television at each seat, according to JetBlue.