JetBlue Airways to drop cities and reduce flights after years of losing money

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free journey e mail for knowledgeable recommendation and money-saving reductions

Get Simon Calder’s Travel e mail

A US airline will finish service at a number of cities and reduce flying out of Los Angeles in a transfer to retrench and give attention to stronger markets after years of losing money.

The modifications will even assist JetBlue Airways address the grounding of some of its planes for inspections of their Pratt & Whitney engines, an government informed workers Tuesday.

Beginning June 13, JetBlue will pull out of Kansas City, Missouri; Bogota, Colombia; Quito, Ecuador; and Lima, Peru.

“These markets are unprofitable and our aircraft time can be better utilized elsewhere,” Dave Jehn, the airline’s vp of community planning, mentioned in a memo to workers.

Also in June, the New York-based airline will drop a number of locations from Los Angeles together with Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Miami. It will finish flights between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Nashville; New Orleans and Salt Lake City, and service between New York and Detroit.

JetBlue has misplaced greater than $2 billion since its final worthwhile yr, 2019. The airline tried to develop by a partnership and a merger, however the Biden administration’s Justice Department sued to kill each offers.

Last May, a federal choose ordered JetBlue and American Airlines to dissolve a partnership they created in Boston and New York. In January one other choose blocked JetBlue from shopping for Spirit, saying the proposed $3.8 billion deal violated antitrust regulation.

The architect of these unsuccessful offers, Robin Hayes, stepped down as CEO in February and was changed by Joanna Geraghty.

Frustrated by the courtroom defeats, JetBlue below Geraghty is popping towards rising by itself, which is able to take for much longer.

Even earlier than the change in CEOs, investor Carl Icahn started to purchase almost 10% of JetBlue inventory, and his facet bought two seats on the airline board.

The airline has struggled to enhance its operation. JetBlue ranked ninth out of the nation’s 10 largest airways in each canceled flights and on-time arrivals final yr, in accordance to U.S. Transportation Department numbers.