JetBlue disembarkation area at LaGuardia Airport in New York, October 31, 2023.
Leslie Josephs/CNBC
jet blue airlines told staff this week it would cut some routes and services as it struggles to return to profitability and deals with the impact of a blocked acquisition plan. spirit airlines.
JetBlue announced it would suspend service from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport to Portland, Oregon, San Jose, California, Westchester, New York, and Martha’s Vineyard, according to an internal memo seen by CNBC. The airline will also suspend flights from New York to Ponce, Puerto Rico and Milwaukee, Wisconsin in October.
“We can’t fly anywhere we want, so to be profitable, support our overall network strategy, and provide reliable operations, we need to be highly selective about where we direct our aircraft.” ” wrote Vice President Dave Jenn. the president of network planning and airline partnerships said in a memo to staff.
The airline is instead focusing on leisure routes, adding service throughout the Caribbean and to Paris, according to the memo.
JetBlue Airways will also withdraw from Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Jenn said. He added that the airline would “continue to offer more options” to its staff.The airline said it will continue to serve the region with flights from Washington, D.C.
Jen said the changes had been in the works for nearly a month before a court ruling blocked JetBlue’s $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit on antitrust grounds. Justice William Young’s opinion only blocks the merger the companies agreed to in July 2022, not another proposed merger if the airlines choose that route.
JetBlue said in a statement that the changes are “completely unrelated” to the judge’s ruling.
”“We are constantly adjusting our network to support our strategy and the recent changes are a necessary quick step to return our business to a profitable position. “We have recently fallen short of our expectations and these changes are occurring as post-COVID travel patterns occur,” JetBlue said. It will continue to evolve. ”
JetBlue said it is also working to improve reliability.
“By eliminating some of our low-demand flights, we will provide additional headroom for our operations to address air traffic control challenges in the Northeast,” the airline said in a statement.
JetBlue ranked ninth among U.S. airlines in on-time arrivals in the first 10 months of 2023, according to the Department of Transportation.
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