JetBlue Eyes Suits Replacing Sandals in Next Recovery Phase This Fall
Skift Take
JetBlue echoed the industry refrain that business flyers could return to the skies after a bumper summer leisure travel season. But the optimism hid a lack of details on its long-awaited London launch and a return to profitability without government relief.
The summer travel season is not even upon us yet but JetBlue Airways is already looking forward to the next phase of the recovery.
The New York-based carrier hopes to see workers beginning to return to offices and, more importantly, flying again on business trips this fall. This would follow what is expected to be a relatively busy period for leisure travel this summer, when some analysts warn that fares could reach — or even exceed — 2019 levels during peak periods. A September uptick in corporate travelers could segue nicely from the leisure recovery this summer to the business one this fall, with suits possibly replacing sandals on planes after Labor Day.
“We're cautiously optimistic that — assuming there isn't any increase in travel restrictions, that the vaccine continues to take a hold, [and] that case counts stabilize or come down — the fall has the potential to be good for JetBlue," JetBlue President Joanna Geraghty said during the airline's first quarter earnings call on Tuesday.
JetBlue is not alone. Alaska Airlines, American Airlin
