JetBlue is backing out of Mexico City
First it was Alaska, then Southwest and now finally JetBlue is following suit: All three airlines have left Mexico City in the last two years, with JetBlue the latest to give up on the seemingly over-satiated market. As first reported by the Wandering Aramean, JetBlue appears to have closed all bookings beyond January 8, 2020. A search on the website confirms this, with dates after the 8th showing as sold out entirely:
This is despite the fact that JetBlue has been in the market for a little over four years, with improved time-slots and even an exclusive routing (JetBlue flies the only nonstop operating from Boston to Mexico City) helping the airline to compete. The decision to back out is likely due in large part to the strong Delta/Aeromexico partnership and a multitude of low-cost carriers cropping up to take over market share.
While it's unfortunate that JetBlue couldn't maintain its operations in Mexico City, other destinations in Mexico appear to be unaffected, such as JetBlue's nonstop from New York (JFK) to Cancun (CUN) populating even in May 2020:
Though it may seem like a big deal to be dropping out of the market entirely, JetBlue's presence in Mexico City wasn't that large to begin with. The airline only operated four daily flights to the country's capital, from Boston, New York, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale.
With an overly full market and a host of competition, Mexico City is clearly not the place for US airlines to be. It's too bad that JetBlue couldn't make it work, though not surprising, as fellow competitors have been falling out over the last few years.
Feature photo by Craig Warga/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
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