JetBlue is dropping more than a dozen routes out of New York City, Washington and Boston, including routes to Miami, the Caribbean and other East Coast cities from those airports, including new routes launched recently.
The changes certainly will impact the cost of flights on other airlines which fly those routes, but it’s too soon to know how much.
Airline expert believe the changes are the direct result of the recent failed merger with American Airlines to create something called a Northeast Alliance, which would have allowed the two airlines to share routes and customers, and the current battle JetBlue is having to take over Spirit Airlines. Another contributing issue is the ongoing Air Traffic Control staffing problems.
Also upsetting is the impact on New York City, where JetBlue launched a couple of decades ago, and still has its headquarters near JFK.
Some of the routes being dropped are ones JetBlue added earlier this year with a big airfare sale.
Whatever.
Out of JFK, JetBlue will end its three times daily route to Washington, D.C. in January, just four months after the route was launched, in mid-September. According to a Jetblue press release. the route was “highly requested”by customers.
Also in January, JetBlue will stop serving Burlington, Vermont, where it has operated twice daily flights to JFK since 2000.
This route “accounts for 10 percent of all passengers flying into Burlington on a monthly basis” The Vermont Congressional Delegation wrote in a letter expressing their disappointment to the airline’s CEO Robin Hayes, so it has major impact for the state – including for the Vermont ski areas which are easily accessible from Burlington.
From LaGuardia, JetBlue will no longer fly to Bermuda, Cape Cod, Charleston, Denver, Jacksonville, Nashville, Portland, ME, and Sarasota.
JetBlue will also cut routes from Newark to Boston and Miami, as well as from Boston to Rochester.
Here are the specific routes being dropped:New York City – LaGuardia, JFK and Newark
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Bermuda L.F. Wade International Airport (BDA)
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Nashville International Airport (BNA)
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Charleston International Airport (CHS)
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Denver International Airport (DEN)
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Cape Cod Gateway Airport (HYA)
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Jacksonville International Airport (JAX)
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Portland International Jetport (PWM)
LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ)
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Burlington International Airport (BTV)
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Miami International Airport (MIA)
Boston
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC)
Los Angeles
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Charleston International Airport (CHS)
Getting Alternate Flights or Refunds
JetBlue will offer alternate flight options or a full refund for passengers booked on cancelled flights.
Good luck with that – I’m still waiting for my refund for a flight JetBlue cancelled more than a year ago.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 20+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.
ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter currently serves as President of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA), a former Board Member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and a current member of the North American Travel Journalists Assn. (NATJA) and the North American Snowsports Journalists Assn. (NASJA).
Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com.
Copyright (C) Evelyn Kanter
Leave a Reply