JetBlue boosts San Juan, cuts LaGuardia and TATL for winter 2024

Earlier this year JetBlue promised a return to its core business as it seeks to survive and thrive without Spirit as part of the operation. After announcing it would trim a number of routes (including significant cuts at its LAX focus city), the carrier is now pushing some new service into the schedules, including several new Mint markets. And also making additional cuts.

Growing at San Juan

JetBlue did a spectacular job killing off American Airlines‘ San Juan hub a decade ago. Since then, however, competition has crept into the market. JetBlue is 10% bigger by ASMs in 2024 than it was in 2019 (and that’s before the new service coming online later this year).

But its share has shrunk notably, with Frontier continuing to grow and Spirit holding a sizable share, even as it retrenches a bit. Avelo also recent entered the market. Despite all that competition, JetBlue is now pushing to defend its position in Puerto Rico.

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The company will add six new routes later this year (most launch at the end of October when the IATA season shifts), two from the mainland (Providence, White Plains) and four in the Caribbean and Latin America (Santiago, DR; Medellin; Cancun; St Croix).

Read more: JetBlue appoints Marty St. George as President

It will also add Mint service year-round on one daily flight from JFK to San Juan, trying to tap into a more premium customer demand. JetBlue’s lie-flat beds may be a bit much for a 3.5 hour flight, but that’s the capacity it has available to bring to the market. Today United and Delta capture that premium traffic.

Despite general revenue weakness in the Caribbean and Latin America JetBlue is investing in that market. Southwest has drawn back a bit and so has Spirit. But Frontier is still fighting. And total capacity is up 25% even before JetBlue’s new routes are added. That’s a lot of pressure on yields.

Maybe JetBlue can outlast the ULCC challenge (including direct competition on several routes). But, in many ways, this is similar to how JetBlue displaced American. It has to be tough sitting on the other side of that challenge so soon after capturing the market.

More Mint

In addition to San Juan’s Mint service, JetBlue will add the premium cabin on its Phoenix routes for the winter. New York, Boston, and Fort Lauderdale will all see the upgraded service seasonally. Fort Lauderdale to Las Vegas will also see Mint for the winter, while JFK-Vancouver will get it year round.

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Trimming around the edges, with big cuts at LaGuardia

LaGuardia will lose its JetBlue service to Atlanta, New Orleans, Nassau, Fort Myers, and Tampa at the end of October. Frequencies will also be trimmed from LaGuardia to Boston, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale. These cuts are tied to the unwinding of the NEA and those slots being returned to American Airlines. It is unfortunate for JetBlue, but there’s a reason LaGuardia slots are considered such valuable assets.

Beyond that, some significant long-haul cuts are coming this winter.

Read more: JetBlue slashes at LAX, seeks more profitable route network

Gatwick flights will not operate this winter from New York nor Boston. Gatwick was always a second choice compared to Heathrow. With Heathrow slots secured, lower demand at Gatwick (especially for the large premium cabin JetBlue flies) and competitive pressures from Norse Atlantic, suspending the route in the low season makes sense. JFK-Paris will also drop to a single frequency in the winter.

It will also cut LAX transcon service to Newark and Orlando. Combined with the transatlantic cuts this frees up Mint planes to serve Phoenix and the other growth markets.

The carrier will exit the Puerto Vallarta market with its JFK flight ending in June. This follows the cut from LAX earlier announced earlier this year.

So what?

JetBlue is clearly executing on its previously announced plans. It is good to see the company moving so quickly, especially in suspending underperforming long-haul and premium markets which come with much higher costs. But eventually the company will need to find places to put that capacity, especially as it does still expect to grow moving forward. These moves are just a start in making that happen.