JetBlue plans to stop flights between SFO and LAX
JetBlue Airways plans to discontinue its flights between San Francisco and Los Angeles as part of a restructuring plan that entails cutting service in several cities across the United States.
Dave Jehn, the airline’s vice president of network planning, announced the changes to employees on Tuesday. The decision comes in the wake of a federal judge’s ruling earlier this year that blocked JetBlue’s $3.8 billion acquisition bid for Spirit Airlines.
In a strategic move, JetBlue will cease operations in five cities and slash 16 other routes.
Among the notable adjustments, JetBlue will stop flying to various destinations from Los Angeles, including Seattle, Las Vegas and Miami. The carrier currently has one daily route between LAX and SFO.
Jehn characterized the Los Angeles market as “very crowded.”
JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for further information regarding the planned changes. A spokesperson for San Francisco International Airport deferred inquiries to the airline.
Effective June 13, JetBlue will halt services to Kansas City, Mo.; Bogota, Colombia; Quito, Ecuador; and Lima, Peru. Additionally, the carrier will discontinue flights between Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta, Austin, Nashville, New Orleans and Salt Lake City; and service between New York and Detroit.
“These markets are unprofitable and our aircraft time can be better utilized elsewhere,” Jehn said in the memo.
JetBlue has incurred losses exceeding $2 billion since its last profitable year in 2019.
Joanna Geraghty assumed the helm of the company following the departure of CEO Robin Hayes in February, and proposed partnerships with American Airlines and the merger with Spirit were scuttled by the Justice Department.
After taking over as CEO, Geraghty said she plans to steer the company toward independent growth, focusing on stringent cost-cutting measures and operational efficiency enhancements.
JetBlue ranked ninth among the nation’s 10 largest airlines in both canceled flights and ontime arrivals last year, according to data from the U.S. Transportation Department.
Jehn said the restructuring aims to improve the airline’s performance record.
“These moves will allow us to redeploy our fleet to increase frequencies on well-performing routes from JetBlue’s focus cities while continuing to increase crucial ground time for our aircraft, reducing the chance of delays for our customers,” he said.
JetBlue previously ended service to Oakland International Airport in January 2020.