JetBlue Axes Several Routes After Merger With Spirit Collapses

JetBlue said Friday it is cutting several routes from its network as part of its effort to return to profitability. 

“We constantly adjust our network to support our strategy and these recent changes are a necessary quick step to help return our business to profitability,” JetBlue said in a statement. “All the routes included have recently underperformed our expectations and these changes come as post-Covid travel patterns continue to evolve.”

JetBlue said the network changes were decided well before a Massachusetts District Court judge blocked the carrier’s merger with Spirit Airlines. 

The route cuts were first reported by CNBC.   

The cuts affect the airline’s less in-demand routes. In particular, JetBlue is halting flights from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Portland, Oregon and to San Jose, California, according to CNBC. Routes from New York’s Westchester County to Martha’s Vineyard are also affected, along with routes from New York to Ponce, Puerto Rico and to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Additionally, JetBlue will end service in Baltimore, which had been a focus city for the airline. 

JetBlue has struggled with sluggish revenues amid weather-related disruptions and declining demand for domestic travel. In the third quarter, the carrier reported a loss of $129 million, excluding one-off accounting charges. 

On top of that, the carrier is now dealing with the loss of the Northeast Alliance with American Airlines and its merger with Spirit. 

JetBlue said it would focus more on leisure routes and “visiting friends and family” ones — known as VFR. For example, the carrier said it may increase service from Boston and New York to the Caribbean. 

“We also continue to evaluate our network with an eye towards reliability,” JetBlue said. “By removing some of our less in-demand flights, we will give our operation more breathing room as we plan for air traffic control challenges in the northeast.”