JetBlue Airways (B6, New York JFK) plans to reduce its presence at Long Beach, CA, as a result of last year's vote of the city council which blocked the establishment of customs facilities at the airport and, in effect, opening it up for international services, Press-Telegram has reported.
The carrier plans to return 12 daily slots at Long Beach from its current 35 effective September 2018. jetBlue does not plan to terminate any routes but will reduce frequencies on the existing ones. In addition, the carrier is resuming flights from Ontario International, located some 55 kilometres away from Long Beach, as well as expanding its presence at Burbank.
"The majority of the change in Long Beach is being driven by the rejection of the Customs facility," JetBlue’s Executive Vice President of Commercial and Planning Operations Marty St. George has confirmed.
The carrier had been hoping to launch international flights to Mexico out of Long Beach following the establishment of customs facilities at the airport.
The city council's vote has been accompanied by protests of the citizens living near the airport who were afraid that after the commencement of international flights, the noise footprint of the airport would grow.
jetBlue is currently by far the largest airline at Long Beach. According to the ch-aviation capacity module, it operates a total of 245 weekly departures out of the airport and has a market share of 77.3% by capacity. The carrier's main routes out of Long Beach - all slated for frequency cuts in September - are to Las Vegas Harry Reid, San Francisco, and Oakland International. After the cuts, the carrier will offer some 161 weekly departures.
Other airlines serving Long Beach currently are Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines.
