All articles tagged with #jetblue
A JetBlue flight from Las Vegas to New York reported colliding with a drone during its final approach to JFK; the plane landed safely, passengers deplaned, and the aircraft was removed from service for inspection with no damage or injuries reported. The FAA will investigate, and drone operators near airports must follow rules to avoid airspace, with penalties for unauthorized operation.
A JetBlue pilot reported striking a drone during approach to JFK, the aircraft landed safely, and post-flight checks found no damage. The FAA has opened an investigation, in a sequence of recent drone near-misses with commercial aircraft in the region, including a United Airlines near-miss at Newark just days earlier.
JetBlue will close its Newark flight attendant base and tech bases at Newark and LaGuardia this fall to cut costs and shift growth to its Fort Lauderdale hub, with no staff layoffs and options to transfer. Newark–Los Angeles and Newark–Las Vegas seasonal service will end. The carrier is expanding Mint service from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego on Nov. 19 and adding more Mint flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles this winter, including up to eight daily FLL–LA and three daily FLL–SF trips, as it pursues profitability amid NYC airport cost frustrations and uncertain LGA slot opportunities.
JetBlue is closing its Newark flight-attendant base and its Newark and LaGuardia technical bases this fall, shifting resources to Fort Lauderdale to cut costs and support Florida growth; it will end seasonal Newark-LAX and Newark-LAS routes but continue operating from those hubs and offer internal transfers for affected staff. The move highlights rising LaGuardia fees and a strategic pivot away from the New York region toward its fastest-growing hub in Florida after Spirit’s collapse.
JetBlue, already the largest carrier at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International, plans a major expansion with more gates, up to about 150 daily flights in peak winter, and more international and premium service, leveraging Spirit Airlines’ collapse to fill capacity and intensify competition with Miami; the airline has raised its revenue forecast on solid demand.
The FAA is investigating a midair scare near Fort Lauderdale International Airport after a JetBlue Flight 1256 detected a nearby aircraft not in contact with air traffic control; the JetBlue crew safely navigated away and landed with required separation maintained, while ATC audio noted the other pilot’s behavior. JetBlue has not commented, and the incident adds to safety concerns amid air-traffic-controller shortages and follows a high-profile past collision.
A JetBlue flight reported a second plane flying erratically near Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport; an air traffic controller called the other pilot 'insane' before the JetBlue aircraft landed, with the FAA saying safe separation was maintained and the incident is under investigation.
Massachusetts opened the nation’s first remote terminal for Logan Airport in Framingham, allowing eligible JetBlue and Delta passengers to check in, clear TSA screening, and ride an hourly bus directly to their Logan terminal, bypassing on-site security. The service runs for flights 5:30 a.m.–4 p.m., costs $9 each way (kids under 18 ride free with a ticketed family member), and offers ~400 parking spots at $7/day. Tickets are available at LoganRemote.com up to 90 days or 90 minutes before departure, with bus times set to arrive at Logan at least 45 minutes before takeoff.
United Airlines says it will sit out major industry consolidations for the foreseeable future after American rebuffed a tie-up, and CEO Scott Kirby blasted the idea of a United–JetBlue merger as 'idiotic' while keeping faith in their Blue Sky partnership and avoiding a money-losing route network.
A new Landline-operated remote terminal in Framingham will let Delta and JetBlue travelers check in, drop bags, and clear TSA before taking an hourly coach to Boston Logan; fares start as low as $9 one-way, with bags transferred directly to planes, though the bus portion does not earn airline loyalty points.
JetBlue plans a major Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood expansion in the second half of 2026, launching seven new routes from July 9 and increasing frequencies on six existing ones, with four additional routes arriving in October–November 2026 and a Baltimore/Washington–San Juan service; the expansion includes routes to Baltimore/Washington, Barranquilla, Cali, Charlotte, Chicago O’Hare, Columbus, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Nashville and Ponce, all operated with A320 aircraft.
PolitiFact traces the JetBlue–Spirit merger saga: Democratic opposition from Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg helped block the deal, with DOJ and a federal court ruling ultimately blocking the merger in 2024. Spirit Airlines then faced prolonged financial distress, filing for bankruptcy in 2024 and 2025, and finally wind‑down in 2026 due to soaring fuel costs and other pressures. The article notes that while Warren and Buttigieg played a role in opposing the merger, Spirit’s shutdown was driven by multiple financial factors, not solely the political actions surrounding the merger.
Spirit Airlines’ collapse exposes how the ultra‑low‑cost, no‑frills model relied on razor‑thin margins to offer cheap base fares while extracting revenue from extra charges; rising fuel prices and labor costs, plus failed merger hopes, doomed Spirit. With the carrier out, airlines may raise overall fares and push more basic‑economy options, potentially reducing competition and leaving travelers with fewer low‑cost choices — a development some analysts say will push prices higher even as the industry questions what "cheap travel" actually means.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent blamed Elizabeth Warren’s September 2022 letter opposing Spirit’s merger with JetBlue for Spirit Airlines’ collapse four years later, arguing the Biden administration blocked a deal that could have preserved thousands of jobs; Spirit cited rising fuel costs tied to the Iran war and a failed government rescue as the immediate causes, while noting Commerce, not Treasury, was attempting to put together a bailout deal and that JetBlue’s involvement could have strengthened Spirit.
JetBlue will continue expanding its Fort Lauderdale operations and capacity despite Spirit Airlines’ bankruptcy and possible government bailout, gaining share as other carriers add flights to Spirit’s hubs amid Spirit’s restructuring.