JetBlue Airlines faces specific challenges to remain operational, on the one hand is the fact that it urgently needs to reach its profitability, a goal that is more difficult after failing to complete its merger with Spirit Airlines, to this challenge is added its accelerated loss of competitiveness, especially in the Dominican market where user complaints seem to be a constant.
In this regard, JetBlue’s Vice President of Network Planning, Dave Jehn, sent an internal statement to employees detailing plans to soon cancel several unprofitable routes in order to use these planes on flights that will allow them to make a profit.
Effective June 13, the airline is withdrawing completely from Kansas City (MCI) and canceling all operations to Bogota (BOG), Quito (UIO) and Lima (LIM) from Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Florida.
It is also discontinuing service from Newburgh Stewart Airport (SWF), New York, which is greatly reduced.
Moreover, it cuts several routes from Los Angeles (LAX) to Las Vegas (LAS), Reno (RNO), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), Miami (MIA), Puerto Vallarta (PVR), Cancun (CUN) and Liberia (LIR), Costa Rica.
With the changes it reduces its daily flights from 34 to 24, but it was necessary, given that in order to be successful it also required Spirit flights in that city.
Other flights cancelled from its hub in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, include Atlanta (ATL), Austin (AUS), Nashville (BNA), New Orleans (MSY) and Salt Lake City. From Tampa (TPA), Florida, flights to Aguadilla (BQN), Puerto Rico, New York-Kennedy, Detroit (DTW), Orlando and Salt Lake City end.
Another factor forcing them to reduce flights are the inspections to the PW GTF engines of the Airbus A320neo and A321neo fleet, which according to Jehn, will force them to keep an average of 12 aircraft on the ground during 2024.
It is recalled that dozens of passengers were stranded on March 25 at the Las Americas International Airport (AILA) in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) due to a 9.5-hour delay to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The flight, which was supposed to depart at 9:30 p.m. last Sunday, March 24, took off from the AILA at 7:00 a.m. on Monday, March 25, amid protests by the passengers, most of them Dominicans and Puerto Ricans.
Source: Arecoa.com