JetBlue Trims Capacity, Plans Pilot Buyout Offers

The airline is reducing capacity by seven flights per day at Washington-DCA this winter.

A JetBlue Embraer E190 in Boston (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

[ News ]August 29, 2024 6:08 pm ET

By Ryan Ewing

JetBlue is further reducing capacity in an ongoing effort to cut costs. On Thursday, the New York-based airline told employees it would reduce capacity by roughly a quarter at Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) this winter.

As first noted by xJonNYC on Twitter/X, JetBlue will scale back its daily flights from the slot-controlled airport to 20, down from 27. In a memo, the carrier said the cuts would take effect between Oct. 27, 2024 and March 29, 2025.

The airline currently serves Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Nassau, Orlando, San Juan, and West Palm Beach from DCA along with seasonal flights to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

Flights between DCA and Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, along with West Palm Beach will all see daily service reductions. The carrier’s route from the Nation’s Capital to Fort Myers will be axed altogether.

In addition, the airline does not plan to resume service from Washington to New York-JFK as originally planned; the route had been paused since early 2024. Earlier this year, JetBlue applied for one of five newly available slot pairs at DCA, seeking to add a second daily flight to San Juan.

Pilot Buyouts

Along with the capacity cuts, JetBlue is reportedly looking at plans to offer voluntary early buyout offers to its pilots, according to several sources familiar with the matter.

The airline – which continues to face financial woes – offered so-called “opt-out” packages to some workgroups earlier this year in a move to reduce fixed costs. At the time, these offers did not extend to pilots, flight attendants, or technicians.

JetBlue did not immediately respond to AirlineGeeks’ request for comment on the pilot buyouts.

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Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.

Follow Ryan

Author

Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.
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