Recent reports of JetBlue cutting back on some of its European routes may have looked like a case of shrinking ambition, but it appears they may reflect a lean and profit-hunting strategy that the airline needs after recent setbacks.
JetBlue has battled some headwinds lately with the collapse under court orders of its plans to buy Spirit Airways and to continue its Northeast Alliance with American Airlines.
The latest new strategy focuses on its new and growing A321LR and XLR fleet, which are relatively heavy in its premium Mint cabin and have been used primarily to open up European routes, where demand for premium seats has been high in season.
But for the coming season fall and winter season, the airline will move some of those planes to high-value domestic routes where there is similar demand, including especially Phoenix and San Juan. The airline talks in terms of ‘opportunity cost’—not passing up on stronger demand in a different season.
Marty St George, JetBlue’s new president, told ThePointsGuy website that “I look at Edinburgh and Dublin. We’re happy with what we’re seeing right now with summer results. I would not want to fly those in the winter. But the beauty of this is, we have great places to fly in the winter.
“This is actually what we love about this fleet, is the flexibility,” he said. “I would continue to see this expectation of planes gyrating back and forth between the Atlantic and premium domestic.”
