JetBlue will scale back its service from New York JFK to Havana
from daily to weekly at the end of April, citing the impact of restrictions on
travel to Cuba put in place by the Trump administration.
“Nearly three-and-a-half years after becoming the first airline
to operate commercial service between the U.S. and Cuba in more than 50 years,
JetBlue remains committed to serving Cuba via Havana’s Jose Marti International
Airport,” the airline said. “At the same time, changes to the regulatory
landscape have affected travel trends to the island.”
Last month, the federal government implemented a ban on
commercial flights to Cuba airports other than Jose Marti. The administration
also has stopped all cruises to the island, eliminated the people-to-people
category of permissible reasons to visit Cuba and prevented U.S. citizens from
doing business with any entity with ties to the Cuban military, which includes
numerous hotels, restaurants, bars and shops.
The restrictions have severely cut into U.S. demand for Cuba
travel.
JetBlue will end daily JFK-Havana flights on April 28 and
will commence weekly Saturday flights on May 2. The carrier said it will
continue to operate up to three daily Havana flights from Fort Lauderdale.
United also serves Havana from the New York City metroplex,
offering daily service from Newark.
JetBlue on Thursday announced several other changes to its
flight schedule, effective in the spring and summer. The carrier will bring
Guatemala City into its route network with daily New York JFK flights beginning
June 1.
The carrier will also launch flights from New York to
Nashville and Missoula, Mont., as well as introduce Missoula-Boston.
JetBlue will exit Oakland on April 29, from where it
currently serves Long Beach, Calif.; New York; and Boston. The airline noted
that it will continue to operate Bay Area service in San Francisco and San
Jose.
JetBlue will implement cuts in Long Beach service,
eliminating short-haul routes, including Oakland.