Silhouette of a passenger in front of a JetBlue Airbus A321neo aircraft seen on the apron runway docked on the passenger jet bridge at the AMS EHAM terminal at Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport, Netherlands.
Nicholas Economou | Nurphoto | getty images
jetblue airlines It told employees Wednesday that it was cutting less profitable flights, realigning aircraft with higher-value business classes and adjusting its European services, the latest moves by the airline to return to consistent profitability and cut costs.
It will also stop using Mint business class aircraft on its Seattle flights starting in April.
JetBlue said it would suspend flights from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Jacksonville, Florida. From John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to Austin, Texas; Houston, Texas; Miami; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and from Westchester and Milwaukee, New York. The San Jose, California route will also end service.
JetBlue said the end of service between JFK and Miami will leave the airline with excess staff in Miami and that it is working with flight attendants on options such as working in other cities it serves.
“While Florida remains a strong geographic location for JetBlue, it has not been profitable in Miami since COVID-19 due to the dominance of legacy airlines such as: American and delta “Dave Jehn, JetBlue’s vice president of network planning and airline partnerships, wrote in an employee memo seen by CNBC.
We will continue to provide service from Boston to Miami.
The memo says JetBlue plans to announce new European service next week. However, starting with the 2025 summer travel season, it will discontinue a second JFK-Paris flight and a summer-only service between New York and London Gatwick airports, Jehn said.
The changes were announced after JetBlue reported better-than-expected sales and bookings for November and December, sending its shares up more than 8% on Wednesday. CEO Joanna Geraghty and her team are focused on cutting costs and shedding unprofitable routes, such as the West Coast, as the company grapples with the Pratt & Whitney engine grounding and changes in demand following the pandemic.
JetBlue said customers affected by the change can choose an alternative flight option or receive a refund if another route is unavailable.
“We recently made some network adjustments in certain markets, allowing us to remove some underperforming flights from our schedule and reallocate resources, including our popular Mint service, to high-demand markets and new opportunities,” JetBlue said in a statement. .
