JetBlue wins Spirit's LaGuardia slots, eyes historic Marine Air Terminal
JetBlue is already moving fast to fill a Spirit Airlines-sized void in Fort Laurderdale. Now, it appears the New York-based airline could be on the verge of doing the same at LaGuardia Airport (LGA).
And it's eyeing the Spirit's former home in the historic Marine Air Terminal.
JetBlue this week confirmed it won coveted takeoff and landing rights at LGA, which could allow the airline to operate up to 12 additional daily roundtrips from the airport.
CNBC was first to report the news.
Those LaGuardia "slots" previously held by Spirit had turned into highly sought-after assets after the budget airline shut down in May and began liquidating.
Now, it appears they'll be JetBlue's to use.
JetBlue 'interested' in Marine Air Terminal
JetBlue will still need court and regulatory approval before it can start adding routes from LaGuardia.
But the New York-based airline already has its eyes on different gate space.
A JetBlue spokesperson on Tuesday said the airline had "expressed our interest" in moving to LGA's Terminal A, the historic Marine Air Terminal that dates back to 1940 and the age of Pan Am's Flying Boats.
The terminal currently has no commercial service, since Spirit had been the lone airline there before it ceased operations on May 2.
A 'JetBlue terminal' at LaGuardia?
Moving to the Marine Air Terminal would certainly mean a more no-frills experience for JetBlue flyers at LaGuardia.
The airline currently operates out of the far larger and more modern Terminal B which, among other things, is home to both an American Express Centurion Lounge and one of Chase's Sapphire Lounges.
A way to save money
But operating out of Terminal A, JetBlue said, would bring it "much-needed cost savings" to support its expansion at the airport.
High costs at LaGuardia had been a key factor JetBlue cited as it pulled back from the airport in recent years, and opted to focus most of its New York operation on its John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) home base.
Today, the carrier flies just four routes from the airport (to Nantucket, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and to West Palm Beach, Fla.)
Below is the airline's route map as of this month; swipe to see what it looked like four years ago, in July 2022, when JetBlue was still at the height of its former Northeast Alliance with American Airlines.
A 'JetBlue terminal' at LGA?
If JetBlue were to take up residence in LGA's Marine Air Terminal, the airline would effectively get a chance to create a "JetBlue terminal" at LaGuardia — potentially a smart play, industry analyst Robert Mann said, for an airline hoping to fortify its base of TrueBlue loyalty members in its home market.
"It is a relatively low-cost facility," Mann said. "It's a way of staying at LaGuardia, which is a preferred airport. And it's a way of making the credit card portfolio perform by having operations at both Kennedy and LaGuardia."
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates LGA, would loom large in any decision to move JetBlue to Terminal A. The facility, by the way, is slated for renovations on its 1980s-era concourse and gate area (the facility's 86-year-old rotunda is landmarked).
2027 expansion expected
Assuming legal and regulatory approvals happen, JetBlue said it hopes to begin its LaGuardia expansion in 2027.
Where might it fly, with these new takeoff and landing rights? A spokesperson told TPG it's "currently evaluating how best to utilize" its newly-acquired slots.
Mann, for his part, expects more of JetBlue's classic, bread-and-butter routes.
"I think it's Florida, more or less," he said. "It's possible they do some upper New York State … western New York, Albany, that sort of thing."
Bottom line
LaGuardia isn't the first airport where JetBlue is vying for former customers (and gate space) vacated by Spirit.
Over the past year, the carrier has moved to become the top carrier at Spirit's former Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) home base — an airport it's characterized as the "third tentpole" of its network, alongside JFK and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).
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