JetBlue cuts more unprofitable routes, tweaks Europe flights

JetBlue Airways told staff Wednesday that it is axing more unprofitable flights, redeploying aircraft outfitted with its high-value business class and tweaking Europe service, the carrier’s latest moves to return to consistent profitability and cut costs.

It will also stop using planes with Mint business class on Seattle flights in April.

JetBlue said it will cut flights from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Jacksonville, Florida; from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Austin, Texas; Houston, Texas; Miami; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and from Westchester, N.Y. and Milwaukee. It will also end service to San Jose, California.

JetBlue said ending service between JFK and Miami will make the carrier over-staffed in Miami and that it’s working with crew members on options, like working in other cities it serves.

“Florida remains a strong geography for JetBlue, however post-COVID we haven’t been profitable in Miami due to the dominance of legacy carriers like American and Delta there,” wrote Dave Jehn, JetBlue’s vice president of network planning and airline partnerships, in a staff note, which was seen by CNBC.

It will continue serving Miami from Boston.

JetBlue will announce some new Europe service next week, the memo said. But starting in the summer 2025 travel season, it will drop its second JFK-Paris flight and its summer-only service between New York and London’s Gatwick Airport, said Jehn.

The changes were announced after JetBlue said its revenue and bookings have come in better than expected for November and December, sending shares up more than 8% on Wednesday. CEO Joanna Geraghty and her team are focusing on reducing costs and culling unprofitable routes, such as those on the West Coast, as they grapple with a Pratt & Whitney engine grounding and post-pandemic shifts in demand.

JetBlue said customers who are affected by the changes can select alternate flight options or receive a refund if other routes aren’t available.

“Recently, we made some network adjustments in certain markets, removing some underperforming flying from our schedule, allowing us to redeploy resources, including our popular Mint service, toward high-demand markets and new opportunities,” JetBlue said in a statement.