A JetBlue Airways plane lands near the air traffic control tower at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on October 7, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Joe Radle | Getty Images
jet blue airlines The company told CNBC on Wednesday that it would close its flight attendant base at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and its technical operations at Newark Liberty International Airport and New York’s LaGuardia Airport this fall to cut costs and strengthen service in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., but said no staff would lose their jobs.
JetBlue announced it would end seasonal service between Newark and Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It is possible that staff members may make bids or be transferred to other bases.
In a staff note seen by CNBC, JetBlue President Marty St. George and Chief Operating Officer Warren Christie said, “We operate in a rapidly changing landscape as our competitors continually add, subtract, and shift flights in response to market conditions.” “We must be equally nimble, entering markets where we see opportunity and exiting markets that no longer support our long-term goals. Standing still while competitors move on is not an option.”
The airline, already the top airline in Fort Lauderdale, previously ranked second behind Spirit Airlines, a South Florida-based discount company that went out of business on May 2. Competitors are also adding service to the region.
JetBlue announced Wednesday that it will expand its daily cross-country Mint lie-flat business class service from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to San Diego on Nov. 19, and will add Mint-equipped flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles this winter.
This includes up to eight daily flights from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles and up to three daily flights to San Francisco.
JetBlue has spent years shedding unprofitable routes and cutting costs to return to stable profitability. The company’s last profitable quarter was two years ago, and expanding into Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is a big part of the company’s strategy, St. George told CNBC earlier this month. The airline is also looking for space for a luxury airport lounge there, he said.
Mint-equipped planes are profitable and their seats come at a big premium. One-way prices for Mint Seats from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles on Jan. 10 exceeded $3,000, reaching a peak of $4,522, while a basic bus ticket on the same route was only $244.
JetBlue executives told staff Wednesday they are aware the Newark cuts call into question plans at LaGuardia Airport. Spirit, a one-time acquisition target of JetBlue, operated out of the Marine Air Terminal until it closed.
“Future opportunities that may arise from the LGA slot auction process remain uncertain and will take time to develop,” they said. “We have to make decisions based on the operations we know we will fly, rather than potential outcomes that may or may not materialize in the future.”
JetBlue executives say airports like LaGuardia are expensive to operate.
“LaGuardia is much, much smaller than it was four years ago, because LaGuardia is a $40 (carry-on fee) airport. And the fountains are really pretty, but…I think people would rather have a low price than a really nice fountain,” St. George said at the JPMorgan industry conference in March, referring to the 25-foot-tall water system installed in the airport’s Terminal B.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates LaGuardia and Newark airports, had no immediate comment.
