JetBlue suspends flights to 16 airports citing coronavirus. Is your city affected?
JetBlue is suspending service to 16 major airports in the United States because of the slowdown in travel during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The department approved the budget airline’s request in a notice issued Tuesday, allowing JetBlue to suspend service until Sept. 30.
According to the DOT notice, JetBlue said in its request that each city would still have service through other airlines, but “there is extremely low demand for its services at these cities.”
JetBlue, in a statement to McClatchy News, said, “We thank the Department of Transportation for granting our exemption, which will give us maximum flexibility to adjust our schedules as needed. This could range from no changes to reduced flying to temporarily suspended service. We will share details on service plans in individual markets soon.”
The airline industry has been hard hit during the pandemic with state and federal leaders urging, and in many cases ordering, people to stay home in hopes of slowing the spread of the virus.
JetBlue will suspend service to:
- Atlanta, GA (ATL)
Charlotte, NC (CLT)
Chicago, IL (ORD)
Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (DFW)
Denver, CO (DEN)
Detroit, MI (DTW)
Houston, TX (IAH)
Las Vegas, NV (LAS)
- Minneapolis, MN (MSP)
- Nashville, TN (BNA)
- Philadelphia, PA (PHL)
- Phoenix, NV (PHX)
- Portland, OR (PDX)
- San Diego, CA (SAN)
- Seattle, WA (SEA)
- Tampa, FL (TPA)
On Tuesday, the DOT also gave permission to Spirit Airlines to suspend services to six cities: Charlotte, Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Phoenix, Portland and Seattle.
Both orders say the service changes for JetBlue and Spirit “can be implemented promptly.”
Spirit also asked to suspend services to two airports in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but the DOT denied those requests.
The CARES Act included $58 million for airlines, but it’s not clear if Congress will approve any more money to help keep airlines afloat during the pandemic, according to Politico.
United Airlines said Monday that it plans to lay off about 3,400 management employees, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Pilots with United could also face layoffs, Forbes reported.
In a statement to McClatchy news, Spirit said, “We will proactively take care of our Guests whose travel is impacted by future schedule changes and fully comply with the U.S. Department of Transportation requirements.”
”The health and safety of our Guests and Team Members continues to be our highest priority, and we look forward to returning to our destinations after a temporary suspension and adding more flight options as the demand for travel returns,” the company said.
This story was originally published May 5, 2020 at 12:06 PM with the headline "JetBlue suspends flights to 16 airports citing coronavirus. Is your city affected?."
