JetBlue ending service in Palm Springs
Airline JetBlue is leaving Palm Springs International Airport, ending its seasonal flights between the desert and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
The departure leaves Alaska Airlines as the only airline offering flights to JFK or any New York area important in general. Alaska began offering daily service to JFK last December. The Points Guy broke the news of the New-York based JetBlue's announcement on Wednesday that it won't resume its seasonal service between JFK and PSP. It is ending service at seven airports total, including fellow California airport Burbank International Airport.
PSP spokesperson Jake Ingrassia told The Desert Sun that the airline's decision to exit the airport follows a strategic shift to focus on the East Coast after it decided not to go through with a planned merger with Spirit Airlines.
JetBlue announced in March that it was terminating a merger agreement with Spirit because it did not anticipate getting legal and regulatory approval for the merger. In January, a US District Court judge in Massachusetts blocked the merger, saying it violated “the core principle of antitrust law: to protect the United States' markets – and its market participants – from anticompetitive harm.”
The airline's announcement said that
JetBlue had not recently been profitable and outlined several steps it was taking to return to sustained profitability, including what it described as "deepening its network relevance in proven geographies and better segmenting its product offerings to enhance its competitive position."
"Palm Springs is one of seven markets JetBlue exited as it reduces flights from many west coast cities," Ingrassia said. "JetBlue officials cited staff and plane shortages, recent engine recalls, and a focus on their most profitable regions when they informed PSP of the decision."
He added that the airline had indicated it hopes to reconsider PSP as its circumstances improve.
JetBlue said in a press release that the company is reducing flights on underperforming routes across its network. It also announced new flights to serving the northeast, Florida and Caribbean, saying it is part of the plan to "refocus its flying into leisure and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) routes with strong customer demand and deploy this capacity in places it can win, executing on its efforts to return the airline's business to profitability."
JetBlue's seasonal service between PSP and JFK began in 2016. It was scheduled to return Dec. 19, according to the airport's website.
Ani Gasparyan covers the western Coachella Valley cities of Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City. Reach her at ani.gasparyan@desertsun.com.