Why JetBlue doesn't target road warriors and doesn't plan to anytime soon
Skift Take
Despite JetBlue's protestations, small isn't necessarily beautiful in the airline business. Still, the contrarian airline has proven so far that it can compete effectively in the middle.
For years JetBlue has been talking about making strides with business travelers, but chief commercial officer Robin Hayes admitted today that the airline doesn't target "road warriors," and has no intention of starting to do so.
JetBlue CEO David Barger indicated the airline also has no desire to become a United, Delta, or American, and observed that network carriers "are a product almost exclusively of bankruptcies."
Similarly, JetBlue doesn't seek to become or compete with "discounters" [read Spirit or Allegiant], either, Barger said.
Kicking off a JetBlue analyst day, conducted at Nasdaq today, Barger outlined JetBlue's centrist strategy, what he referred to as JetBlue's "sweet spot."
Barger and Hayes argued that JetBlue has a cost structure advantage over the legacy carriers, and a price disadvantage when it comes to the discount airlines, and therefore JetBlue sits happily in the middle.
Less charitable observers might s
