JetBlue’s Newark Route Cuts Drop Two Cross-Country Runs by January

JetBlue is ending Mint service to Las Vegas and Los Angeles from Newark and shutting two New York-area crew bases — as it pours aircraft and cash into a Fort Lauderdale buildout.

JetBlue is dropping two cross-country Mint routes from Newark Liberty International Airport by January and closing local crew and maintenance bases, redirecting aircraft toward a growing Fort Lauderdale, Florida, operation.

The cuts mark the latest step in JetBlue’s effort to concentrate scarce aircraft and crews in markets it considers more profitable, even as the airline works to reverse a steep first-quarter loss under its JetForward turnaround plan.

JetBlue ceased twice-daily service between Newark and Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on June 10, according to data from aviation analytics provider Cirium cited by Simple Flying. The route offered 19,080 seats across 60 frequencies in each direction in May; by June, capacity had fallen to 6,042 seats across 38 frequencies, a loss of more than 13,000 seats.

The carrier’s Newark-to-Los Angeles International Airport service will last longer. JetBlue is currently flying the route twice daily in both directions and plans to continue through Jan. 4, 2027, before removing it from the schedule entirely, the airline said. The move would mark the second time in six years that JetBlue has dropped the route — it was first removed in October 2024 and returned in April 2025.

JetBlue described the changes as targeted network adjustments tied to its Florida growth. “JetBlue is making targeted schedule adjustments, ending seasonal service between Newark (EWR) and Los Angeles (LAX) and Las Vegas (LAS), to support growth in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. This growth includes new and additional Mint flying from Fort Lauderdale to the West Coast as we grow in South Florida after Spirit’s exit from the market,” the airline said in a statement to Simple Flying.

Along with the route cuts, JetBlue will close its inflight crew base and Technical Operations base at Newark, plus its Technical Operations base at LaGuardia Airport, this fall. The airline told News 12 New Jersey that no jobs would be lost. “Crewmembers will be able to bid or transfer into other bases, and no crewmembers will lose their jobs due to these closures,” JetBlue said.

The freed-up capacity is flowing into Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, where JetBlue is rebuilding its premium Mint network after Spirit Airlines’ exit from the market. The airline will launch new daily Mint service between Fort Lauderdale and San Diego International Airport on Nov. 19 — Flight 529 departing Fort Lauderdale at 7 a.m. and arriving in San Diego at 9:39 a.m., and Flight 532 departing San Diego at 11 a.m. and landing in Fort Lauderdale at 6:55 p.m. It will be the airline’s first Fort Lauderdale-San Diego service in 22 months; the route last operated in January 2025.

“Customers in Fort Lauderdale continue to choose JetBlue for a better coast-to-coast experience, and these additions give them even more of what they value most: more flights, more premium options and the comfort of Mint on key West Coast routes,” said Daniel Shurz, JetBlue’s senior vice president of revenue, network and enterprise planning.

JetBlue is also adding up to eight daily Fort Lauderdale-to-Los Angeles flights and up to three daily Fort Lauderdale-to-San Francisco flights this winter, with additional Mint service to follow. The airline called it the largest Mint schedule in Fort Lauderdale’s history. “With new Mint service to San Diego and additional flying to Los Angeles and San Francisco, we’re making it easier for South Florida travelers to get where they want to go with the service, style and value that sets JetBlue apart,” Shurz said.

The Newark pullback comes as JetBlue works to turn around its finances. The airline reported a first-quarter 2026 net loss of $319 million on operating revenue of $2.240 billion, against total operating expenses of $2.464 billion, according to its earnings release. JetBlue Chief Executive Joanna Geraghty said in April the company is “taking decisive actions to manage what is within our control, including adjusting capacity, optimizing revenue, and maintaining disciplined cost control,” as part of its JetForward turnaround strategy.

For Newark travelers, United Airlines remains the primary nonstop alternative on both routes, with service listed on its booking site between Newark and Los Angeles and between Newark and Las Vegas.

JetBlue introduced its Mint premium product in 2014, offering lie-flat seats and suites on transcontinental and other long-haul routes. The carrier’s New York-area strategy has shifted in recent years: it unwound its Northeast Alliance with American Airlines in 2023 and later struck a “Blue Sky” partnership with United that includes a Newark flight-timing exchange.