- JetBlue has suspended 20 routes through at least September as it prepares for the busy summer travel season.
- The carrier has also canceled its upcoming flight between Boston and Vancouver.
- A company spokesperson told Insider that rising fuel prices and the need for reliability drove the decision.
JetBlue is once again adjusting its summer flight schedule.
On Tuesday, JetBlue confirmed to Insider that it is suspending 13 routes "for either all or part of the summer," and extending eight previously announced suspensions in preparation for what is expected to be an extremely busy travel season.
Fort Lauderdale and Boston are taking the biggest hits with 11 routes canceled or suspended, collectively. The cuts are in addition to several routes the cities already lost for the summer, like Boston to Key West and Fort Lauderdale to Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
Also being nixed is the long-awaited flight between Boston and Vancouver, which has been highly requested by customers, reported The Points Guy. Despite the cut, JetBlue still plans to launch its inaugural flight from New York's JFK International Airport to Vancouver on June 9, a company spokesperson told Insider.
In addition, JetBlue will not return to Montrose/Telluride, Colorado. The carrier suspended the route after the 2020-2021 winter season but is permanently exiting the city.
JetBlue explained the adjustments were made due to rising fuel prices and to ensure the airline's schedule is reliable through the summer.
Reliability is particularly important for the carrier after an April meltdown left thousands of passengers stranded, which JetBlue blamed on weather and staffing shortages, according to USA Today.
The April chaos was so bad that the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) voted "no confidence" in JetBlue's head of airports and system operations, Alex Battaglia. The union said his management has caused frustration for customers and pilots, as well as led to The Wall Street Journal naming JetBlue "the worst airline" in its 2021 annual rankings.
"Our airline's reputation has suffered under the leadership of Battaglia," Captain Chris Kenney, chair of the JetBlue unit of ALPA, said in a press release. "We are calling on our company to fix the problem and restore both the customers' and pilots' faith in JetBlue."
After the mass cancellations, JetBlue announced it would slash 8% to 10% of its summer flying to give its operation more wiggle room for when things go wrong, per CNN.
Despite the backlash and upcoming cuts, the spokesperson told Insider that the airline will still have a bustling summer schedule.
"We're still planning for a very busy summer, including growth towards nearly 300 daily departures in New York – more than ever in our history – and we remain on track to grow flying faster than the big four carriers this summer," he said.
Here is the list of JetBlue's summer route adjustments.
- Between Boston and Vancouver: JetBlue will no longer launch its highly-anticipated route between Boston and Vancouver that was scheduled to begin flying in June. The company spokesperson did not specify if or when the service would operate in the future.
- Between Boston and Rochester: JetBlue will suspend flying between Boston and Rochester from July 1 to September 6.
- Between Boston and San Jose: JetBlue has extended its route suspension between Boston and San Jose from July 1 to September 6.
- Between Fort Lauderdale and Aguadilla, Puerto Rico: JetBlue has extended its route suspension between Fort Lauderdale and Aguadilla from July 7 to September 8.
- Between Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta: JetBlue has extended its route suspension between Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta from July 1 to September 6.
- Between Fort Lauderdale and Austin: JetBlue will suspend flying between Fort Lauderdale and Austin from July 1 to September 6.
- Between Fort Lauderdale and Buffalo: JetBlue has extended its route suspension between Fort Lauderdale and Buffalo from July 1 to September 6.
- Between Fort Lauderdale and Nashville: JetBlue will suspend flying between Fort Lauderdale and Nashville from July 1 to September 6.
- Between Fort Lauderdale and New Orleans: JetBlue will suspend flying between Fort Lauderdale and New Orleans from August 1 to September 6.
- Between Fort Lauderdale and Philadelphia: JetBlue will suspend flying between Fort Lauderdale and Philadelphia from July 1 to September 6.
- Between Fort Lauderdale and Phoenix: JetBlue will suspend flying between Fort Lauderdale and Phoenix from August 1 to September 7.
- Between Hartford and San Juan: JetBlue will suspend flying between Hartford and San Juan from July 1 to September 6.
- Between Hartford and Tampa: JetBlue will suspend flying between Hartford and Tampa from July 1 to September 6.
- Between Hartford and West Palm Beach: JetBlue will suspend flying between Hartford and West Palm Beach from July 1 to September 6.
- Between Los Angeles and Richmond: JetBlue has extended its route suspension between Los Angeles and Richmond from August 1 to September 6.
- Between Los Angeles and Seattle: JetBlue has extended its route suspension between Los Angeles and Seattle from July 1 to September 6.
- Between Orlando and Nassau: JetBlue will suspend flying between Orlando and Nassau from August 1 to September 6.
- Between Orlando and Syracuse: JetBlue has extended its route suspension between Orlando and Syracuse from July 1 to September 6.
- Between Raleigh and Cancun: JetBlue will suspend flying between Raleigh and Cancun from August 10 to September 6.
- Between Tampa and Cancun: JetBlue will suspend flying between Tampa and Cancun from July 11 to September 6.
- Flights to Montrose/Telluride, Colorado: JetBlue will not return to the Colorado city.