JetBlue Is Cutting Flights to 6 Major Cities, Starting Oct. 28
The airline is reducing its schedule and dropping a route as it winds down a partnership..
Choosing where you want to go when booking a flight is one of the best parts of travel planning. But when it comes time to decide when you actually fly there, things can get more complicated. Even if you're lucky enough to be based near a major airport, airlines can sometimes reduce their schedules to certain destinations as demand shifts or logistical issues pop up. And in the latest example of this, JetBlue is cutting flights to six major cities. Read on to see if you will be affected by the changes when they go into effect on Oct. 28.
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JetBlue just announced it would reduce flights to some major cities.
Before the summer even began, JetBlue announced it would be paring back departures out of some of the busiest airports in the U.S. But now, the airline confirmed it would be reducing flights once again in a new round of schedule cuts.
According to data posted to flight scheduling website Cirium, JetBlue will reduce the service on its route between New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and Boston's Logan Airport (BOS), Simple Flying reports. The changes will see 71 departures each way dropped from its schedule when the changes take effect in November, with sustained cuts posted through at least February.
Travelers out of LGA will also have fewer bookable options when flying to Charleston International Airport (CHS) or Nashville International Airport (BNA): The carrier will drop one of the two daily services it now has between each city starting on Oct. 28, Simple Flying reports.
RELATED: American Is Cutting Flights to 5 Major Cities, Starting Oct. 29.
One route will be dropped entirely when the changes take effect.
Travelers flying JetBlue out of Boston will also see a slight reduction in flights to another major city. The airline is cutting 15 flights in each direction between BOS and Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) near Washington, D.C., beginning in November, per Simple Flying.
But while most routes will see a few flights cut, another will soon be dropped entirely. JetBlue will be cutting service from LGA to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SVA) in Georgia, ending the once-daily route as of Oct. 29, Simple Flying reports.
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The moves come as JetBlue winds down a previous partnership.
While airlines regularly change their schedules by adding and dropping flights, the latest changes are tied to a more significant development in the aviation industry. In this case, it's because JetBlue is currently winding down the Northeast Alliance partnership that it launched with American Airlines in 2021, The Points Guy reports.
The arrangement was initially launched to help the two carriers compete against other major airlines already well-established in New York and Boston. Passengers could count on carried-over perks and loyalty benefits sharing while the airlines coordinated their schedules to help one another, according to The Points Guy.
However, the U.S. Department of Justice upheld an antitrust lawsuit against the alliance in May, forcing the carriers to disband their agreement. The reduction in schedule represents JetBlue scaling back some of the offerings it was able to bulk up during its coordinated arrangement with American, per The Points Guy.
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JetBlue isn't the only airline to recently cut back their schedule.
Even though the busy summer travel season is still in full swing, other major airlines have also decided to shuffle around their schedules. Similar to JetBlue, Delta Air Lines also reduced its flights between LGA and DCA this month, while also cutting back on service between LGA and BOS, Simple Flying reported.
Fewer Delta flights will be scheduled from both LGA and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York. Meanwhile, routes from Atlanta to Newark, New Jersey, and Baltimore are also being reduced, as well as the route from Detroit to Baltimore, the travel news outlet reported.
American Airlines is also reconfiguring its schedule this fall. The carrier will scale back twice daily flights between BOS and Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) as of Oct. 29, while also reducing the number of daily flights between BOS and John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) from three to two, a spokesperson previously told Best Life.
And after bad weather brought about a series of cancellations around the Fourth of July holiday, United is also making good on its plans to reduce its schedule to take the strain off its operations. The airline first announced it would drop 700 flights from across its route map in November, especially on flights between Newark and the carrier's other hubs. The airline has also done away with a few international routes while scaling back flights to Hawaii.
