JetBlue Adds Madrid to Network as It Rethinks Europe

JetBlue announced Tuesday that it would launch flights from Boston to Madrid next May in another major shakeup to its European schedule. 

Along with Madrid, JetBlue is also adding flights to Edinburgh from Boston and plans to offer seven daily nonstop flights to Europe during the summer. The Madrid and Edinburgh routes will operate seasonally from May 22 to October 24. 

“By aligning our schedule with peak seasonal demand and flying our aircraft to other destinations in the off-season, we’re capitalizing from a business perspective while delivering the destinations and experiences our customers love,” said Daniel Shurz, JetBlue’s head of revenue, network and enterprise planning.

A Push for Profits

The latest additions come as JetBlue has made major cuts to its Europe service. The carrier told staff last week that it would cut its second JFK-Paris flight and its summer-only service from JFK to London Gatwick, according to a report from CNBC. 

For the winter, JetBlue already scrapped almost one-third of its European capacity, making the most cuts to its London Gatwick service. The airline had already halved capacity between JFK and Paris for the winter. 

The cuts are part of JetBlue’s strategy to restore its profitability. Following the loss of its merger with Spirit and leadership changes, JetBlue has been cutting unprofitable routes and focusing more of its network on New York and Boston. 

The carrier also told staff that it would cut flights from Fort Lauderdale to Jacksonville; JFK to Austin, Houston, Miami and Milwaukee; and New York’s Westchester County and Milwaukee, according to the CNBC report. 

JetBlue said it was working on other options for crew members in Miami since ending its JFK-Miami service would make it overstaffed in the Florida city, the CNBC report said.