Silhouette of passenger in front of the JetBlue Airbus A321neo aircraft spotted on the apron tarmac docked on the passenger jet bridge from the terminal of Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport AMS EHAM within the Netherlands.Â
Nicholas Economou | Nurphoto | Getty Images
JetBlue Airways told staff Wednesday that it’s axing more unprofitable flights, redeploying aircraft outfitted with its high-value business class and tweaking Europe service, the carrier’s latest moves to return to consistent profitability and cut costs.
It is going to also stop using planes with Mint business class on Seattle flights in April.
JetBlue said it can cut flights from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Jacksonville, Florida; from Latest York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Austin, Texas; Houston, Texas; Miami; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and from Westchester, N.Y. and Milwaukee. It is going to also end service to San Jose, California.
JetBlue said ending service between JFK and Miami will make the carrier over-staffed in Miami and that it’s working with crew members on options, like working in other cities it serves.
“Florida stays a robust geography for JetBlue, nonetheless post-COVID we’ve not been profitable in Miami attributable to the dominance of legacy carriers like American and Delta there,” wrote Dave Jehn, JetBlue’s vp of network planning and airline partnerships, in a staff note, which was seen by CNBC.
It is going to proceed serving Miami from Boston.
JetBlue will announce some recent Europe service next week, the memo said. But starting in the summertime 2025 travel season, it can drop its second JFK-Paris flight and its summer-only service between Latest York and London’s Gatwick Airport, said Jehn.
The changes were announced after JetBlue said its revenue and bookings have are available in higher than expected for November and December, sending shares up greater than 8% on Wednesday. CEO Joanna Geraghty and her team are specializing in reducing costs and culling unprofitable routes, similar to those on the West Coast, as they grapple with a Pratt & Whitney engine grounding and post-pandemic shifts in demand.
JetBlue said customers who’re affected by the changes can select alternate flight options or receive a refund if other routes aren’t available.
“Recently, we made some network adjustments in certain markets, removing some underperforming flying from our schedule, allowing us to redeploy resources, including our popular Mint service, toward high-demand markets and recent opportunities,” JetBlue said in a press release.
