By Pat Loeb

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Delaware Valley travelers will have a new option for getting to Boston, come this May.

The economy airline Jet Blue is beginning service on May 23rd from Philadelphia International Airport to Boston’s Logan Airport, and Philadelphia airport officials hope the airline will eventually add other destination cities.

Philadelphia airport chief Mark Gale says he’s pursued Jet Blue — which gets high marks for price and service from travel sites like Trip Advisor — for years.

“Ultimately, Jet Blue realized there’s a great market here to be had.  They’re not afraid to compete with other airlines, and the timing was just right for them in terms of aircraft availability and their strategy for where they wanted to fly next,” Gale tells KYW Newsradio.

The airline will go head-to-head on the Boston-to-Philadelphia route with US Airways, which has held a monopoly but says it welcomes the competition.

And Rina Cutler, Philadelphia’s deputy mayor for transportation, says that competition will be good for passengers.

“They are a great, low-cost carrier and will make the rate very competitive,” she says of Jet Blue.

How competitive? Cutler says that for a short time they are offering one-way flights for $17.76.