JetBlue Airways surprised airport officials recently by announcing it will end service at the San Antonio International Airport (SAT).
JetBlue said it plans to end nonstop flights from San Antonio to Boston Logan and New York’s John F. Kennedy international airports at the end of October.
The news came as those same officials eagerly await results of American Airlines’ request for a new slot at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) serving San Antonio, a bid that JetBlue has opposed. An announcement could come at any time.
A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation said a final decision on the Federal Aviation Administration’s Reauthorization bill slot allocations will be made “in a timely manner following the comment deadline,” which was July 17.
San Antonio is among five cities JetBlue is exiting, according to airline industry review site, The Points Guy. The airline is also canceling 18 total service routes.
The announcement was sudden, said Director of Airports Jesus Saenz, but clearly indicates the airline is focusing its efforts on the Northeast where it is based.
JetBlue’s decision to leave SAT “has nothing to do” with low passenger numbers on its flights, he said. On average, the airline had 80% load factors (passenger occupation) for the Boston service.
“It’s a proven route, so it will be one of our focus markets,” Saenz said.
JetBlue began serving San Antonio three years ago with officials saying at the time that Boston had long been a target service area. In keeping with the airport’s incentives program used to attract airlines and new service, JetBlue qualified for thousands of dollars in marketing incentives and fee waivers during its first two years of service.
But its numbers were down last month. While the airport’s passenger numbers reached 996,249, breaking an all-time monthly passenger record in June, JetBlue’s passenger counts were down 13% compared to June 2023, according to data from the airport.
JetBlue is one of several airlines that applied for one of the five coveted “beyond-perimeter slots” for Reagan National (DCA) which was newly created through the FAA Reauthorization bill passed in May.
For San Antonio to get one of them, an airline must apply and designate SAT as its destination, then be selected by the FAA.
Applications were due from the airlines on July 8 and public comments among competitors on those applications followed.
Airlines like JetBlue pointed out why San Antonio, which announced a partnership with American Airlines in May to compete for selection, should not be among the new beyond-perimeter cities.
In its application for a slot to serve San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU), JetBlue said the carrier believes it deserves a slot award before American Airlines, Delta and Southwest Airlines.
In the case of American’s bid, JetBlue states that “people in San Antonio can drive to Austin” for a direct flight from Austin-Berstrom International Airport to DCA.
United Airlines’ comments to the other carriers’ applications state that its proposal to serve either Los Angeles or San Francisco is stronger than American’s because the population is larger in those cities than San Antonio.
Delta states that American does not need more beyond-perimeter slots to serve SAT. “American can – and, if it earnestly wishes to serve SAT, should – spare one of the two flexible beyond perimeter slot-pairs it currently uses to fund double daily DCA-LAX service and reallocate it to SAT.”
Delta also called JetBlue’s application for a slot at SJU, “a scattershot of half-baked ideas, built on hearsay and overly optimistic projections.”
American Airlines cites San Antonio’s position as the nation’s seventh-largest city and reputation as Military City U.S.A. to validate its case for the slot. Its application includes more than 150 letters of support from city leaders, military organizations and other advocates.
Saenz said SAT fulfills two major elements of what the FAA is looking for in selecting new slots, including unserved markets and fostering competition and connectivity.
“We feel very confident of the work that we have done,” Saenz said.
