Long Beach Airport (pictured) will see changes in JetBlue’s flight schedule and will include two new seasonal destinations that will take effect later this year.
JetBlue’s revised schedule at LGB includes a reduction in frequencies to select markets in the Bay Area, an additional daytime flight to Boston starting Sept. 5 and seasonal service to Bozeman, Montana and Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Both of these markets will be served twice weekly beginning December 2018. The changes involving frequency reductions are expected to occur in fall 2018, and no existing destinations are planned for reduction.
“We are grateful for our long partnership with JetBlue at Long Beach Airport,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “Despite their changes in service, the future looks great for the airport. We have strong interest to fill those slots from multiple carriers.”
Long Beach officials said JetBlue’s decision was not entirely a surprise. A number of the markets served have presented a challenge to achieve or maintain profitability under present service models, and airlines are continually adjusting when needed to be as profitable as possible, according to city officials.
LGB has received much interest in additional flight slots from other carriers and already has an established waiting list, officials said, adding that LGB anticipates that the soon-to-be available slots will be filled quickly. Airlines currently on the waiting list include Delta, Southwest and Hawaiian. This will allow the City to diversify its airport business model.
“The decision by JetBlue was not unexpected, and we respect decisions airlines make to ensure they are best positioned in a market, especially one that is competitive,” said Airport Director Jess L. Romo. “We see this as an opportunity to create a better balance among the air carriers serving Long Beach Airport and one that will maintain our existing service, and in fact will likely lead to new markets in the very near future.”
Allocation of flight slots that become available is managed through a process to ensure transparency, according to officials. Slots that become available are offered to carriers who have previously requested placement on the list. In turn from top to bottom, incumbent carriers are offered one slot, and the process repeats until all slots are allocated or until demand is satisfied. Currently, LGB believes demand exceeds supply, and, as a result, available slots will quickly be filled, officials said.
In a press release this week, JetBlue announced it is advancing its West Coast strategy following its successful expansion in new markets like San Diego, Las Vegas and Seattle over the past year.
“The latest series of network enhancements is designed to better meet the needs of coast-to-coast travelers facing limited competition and— with the most legroom in coach, unlimited free snacks and complimentary Fly-Fi high-speed Internet, live television and movies— plays to JetBlue’s strength as a favorite choice for transcontinental travel.”
The enhancements bring a number of schedule changes for the airline in 2018, including “refining its Long Beach, Calif. schedule to better meet the needs of the market.”
In addition to adding Steamboat Springs and Bozeman flights in Long Beach, as well as introducing daylight Boston service, JetBlue will offer up to 23 daily flights, which is in line with service levels JetBlue offered in 2016, according to the airline.
JetBlue will revise flight frequencies on the following Long Beach routes starting Sept. 5, 2018:
• Las Vegas’s McCarran International Airport— three times daily
• Oakland International Airport — twice-daily service
• Portland International Airport— once-daily service
• Salt Lake City International Airport— up to three times daily
• San Francisco International Airport— twice daily
• San José International Airport — twice daily
• Seattle—Tacoma International Airport— once daily
JetBlue will continue to offer its current frequencies of nonstop service between Long Beach and New York-JFK, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Austin—Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Reno—Tahoe International Airport (RNO) and Sacramento International Airport (SMF), according to the airline.
“Revising our schedule allows us to offer customers new destinations, capitalize on our leadership position in transcontinental flying and advance our margin commitments in Long Beach where certain flying constraints have created challenges,” said Marty St. George, executive vice president, commercial and planning for JetBlue.
Sources: City of LB, JetBlue
