JetBlue cuts 2 Boston routes with barely any notice
JetBlue Airways is quickly slashing unprofitable flying.
The New York-based carrier filed plans to exit two markets over the weekend, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson. JetBlue will end its service between Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and the Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) near Islip on May 7. It also won't launch the new service from BOS to Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) in Canada as originally planned on June 26.
These are some pretty drastic last-minute changes from JetBlue, as the airline is barely giving flyers much notice about these cuts. When airlines typically file route cuts, they give a bit more notice than four days (like in the case of the Islip cancellation). Furthermore, on the airline's recent first-quarter earnings call, JetBlue president Marty St. George even admitted that this might just be the first time in the airline's history that it's cutting a route before the first flight even takes off.
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This unprecedented move must indicate that demand was way weaker than JetBlue expected for the two affected routes. An airline spokesperson confirmed that "bookings have not met expectations" and explained that the move is "one of the necessary steps we're taking to manage our business through softer-than-expected travel demand this year and ongoing economic uncertainty."
JetBlue said that the change "may be disappointing for those who had already booked travel." With such last-minute notice, flyers will likely be on the hook for pricey replacement flights on other carriers. American Airlines and Air Canada offer flights between Boston and Halifax.
JetBlue is offering full refunds to flyers due to the service cancellation. It'll also offer accommodation on its route between BOS and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) for impacted travelers on the Islip flight.
JetBlue says that it might still launch service to Halifax in a future summer season, but there are no definitive plans right now.
The news comes just a few days after JetBlue shared more about its network strategy during its first quarter earnings call. The airline said that it is seeking a new U.S. airline partner that will allow it to offer travelers award redemptions to places like Boise and Omaha.
"The most important thing, number one, is a significantly higher network opportunity for earn and burn of TrueBlue points," St. George said during the airline's first-quarter earnings call.
JetBlue recently partnered with American Airlines as part of the now-defunct Northeast Alliance, which included a codeshare and loyalty partnership between the two carriers. A federal judge deemed the pact anti-competitive back in 2023. In recent days, however, there have been rumors about which airline JetBlue might partner with next.
While some might have thought that JetBlue would just rework the Northeast Alliance to fit within the confines of the law, American published an internal memo on Monday saying that JetBlue wasn't interested in teaming up again.
All eyes now turn to United, which has been rumored over the past few days to be seriously pursuing a partnership with JetBlue.
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