A major airline announced it is cutting multiple routes to several cities right before the holidays. As you can imagine, holiday travelers are a bit freaked out. But don't worry, here's why.
JetBlue announced that it was cutting several of its routes across the United States. This is all in the name of trying to cut costs and save money. Busy airports have been affected by this measure. For instance, the airline cut several flights at New York's John F. Kennedy airport going to other cities. It axed flights to Austin, Houston, Miami and Milwaukee from the airport.
JetBlue also cut routes to Charleston, South Carolina as well as routes between Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale. If you wanted to fly to San Jose, you're out of luck. The airline cut all routes to that city.
Airline Changes Routes
JetBlue announced it was removing these "underperforming" routes. Ultimately, it all comes down to money and trying to increase profits. But that leaves customers in a state of panic, especially with the holiday season upon us. It's one of the busiest flying times of the year.
However, you shouldn't worry. The airline confirmed that it won't impact the holiday season at all. JetBlue promised that the changes in routes will take place in 2025.
"Most of our customers impacted by these changes will be able to select alternate flight options themselves on JetBlue.com. Where alternate routes are not available, customers will be provided with a refund," the company said in a statement.
Great, right? Just what travelers want, a refund. You won't even be able to fly from JFK to Miami anymore. The airline is having to repurpose its staff in Florida. "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.
It's just the latest changes in the everchanging air industry. Airlines are feeling the squeeze. For instance, Spirit Airlines filed bankruptcy after being unable to pay off its debt. Spirit CEO Ted Christie said, "The chatter in the market about Spirit is notable, but we are not distracted. We are focused on refinancing our debt, improving our overall liquidity position, deploying our new reimagined product into the market, and growing our loyalty programs."
