JetBlue Retreats In Newark, Handing Victory To United

The news of the retreats in Newark, handing victory to United.

The retreat from Newark Liberty International Airport, a fortress hub of United Airlines, is one of the reasons why JetBlue is trimming its summer schedule.

JetBlue Trims Newark Schedule, Ceding Many Routes To United Airlines

Newark was re-entered by JetBlue in July 2020 with transcontinental service to Los Angeles and San Francisco. The new routes were seen as a direct challenge to United Airlines, with JetBlue promising to hold fares in check.

New service to 10 additional cities was announced in 2021. Many of the new routes were in direct competition with United.

There is a challenge United in Newark with a new mint service.

> Read More: JetBlue Targets United Airlines At Newark

The airline is cutting or suspending 27 routes this summer. Route suspensions include:

• Austin (AUS)
• Boston (BOS)
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
  • Cartagena (CTG)
  • Chicago (O’Hare)
  • Cleveland (CLE)
  • Grand Cayman (GCM)
  • Portland, Oregon (PDX)
  • Port of Spain (POS)
  • Providenciales (PLS)
  • Seattle (SEA)
  • St. Maarten (SXM)
• Hartford (BDL)
  • Las Vegas (LAS)
  • San Francisco (SFO)
• Nashville (BNA)
• New York (JFK)
• Los Angeles (LAX)
  • Austin (AUS)
  • Raleigh Durham (RDU)
  • San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO)
  • West Palm Beach (PBI)
• Newark (EWR)
  • Atlanta (ATL)
  • Austin (AUS)
  • Charleston (CHS)
  • Jacksonville (JAX)
  • Las Vegas (LAS)
  • Phoenix (PHX)
  • Raleigh Durham (RDU)
  • San Diego (SAN)

The routes are suspended from April to October. All routes are in the winter schedule except for Nashville and Austin. It is far too early for carriers to finalize domestic winter schedules and I would expect many of the routes above to not operate.

The route cuts were addressed by a JetBlue spokesman.

“Through the summer, we will temporarily suspend flying on a number of routes to support our fuel initiatives and further improve our operational performance. Many of these routes were chosen as they fall into one of three categories: long haul routes that burn more fuel; routes that don’t make financial sense at high fuel prices; or routes that present specific operational challenges.”

Every route in Newark is served by United Airlines. Four of the destinations were served by Spirit Airlines.

Other trends include:

• 44% of the route cuts involve Florida
• 37% are above 2,000 miles
• 74% began after the pandemic

Most U.S. carriers will adjust to more leisure-oriented travel during the Pandemic, facing a steep decline in business travel that is only now beginning to return.

There is a victory for Spirit Airlines in Fort Lauderdale.

CONCLUSION

Consumers should not celebrate this news because it will mean higher fares. United's strength is demonstrated by the routes cuts in Newark by JetBlue. The Newark routes that were abandoned were strategically chosen by the airline and it's less attractive as it faces staffing shortages and rising fuel prices.

What are your thoughts on the retreat?

Tom and Del Coro are pictured.