United Airlines is planning to pull out of JFK in New York altogether, shifting its relatively small operation there to its big hub across the river at Newark Liberty. The shift will take place starting Oct. 25 when United shifts its Premium Service (p.s.) to Newark.
Subject to regulatory approval, Delta will get United’s JFK slots. In return, United will take over Delta’s slots at Newark. Both airports have limited slots due to dense air traffic.
One of the engines driving the plan is the hot competition these days on trans-continental routes, especially between the New York area and Los Angeles and San Francisco. At JFK, United is competing with Delta, JetBlue and American, which have all upgraded their cabins and offerings on those routes. It also means better international connections for West Coast travelers who want to stick with United, since all connections will now be at one airport.
At Newark, United is the king of the hill. Even before the shift, United had 70% of all Newark’s flights, but none of them were premium service to the coast. By moving the flights from JFK, United can now offer those seats to travelers attracted by the many route choices and connections available at Newark.
United will be running 17 round trips a day to San Francisco and 15 to LA. All will be multi-class including lie-flats in business class. Some of the service will use 757s shifted from international service, where they’re being replaced by larger 767s.
United is also planning to spend big on terminal and lounge upgrades.
There’s MORE from Newark Star-Ledger Photo: NJ.com
