Despite a lawsuit now being filed against its alliance, American Airlines and JetBlue Airways are still expanding in the Northeast.
Under the so-called Northeast Alliance, both airlines are adding and expanding their service between New York and Boston. This most recent expansion is good news for a number of markets that had previously only been served by a single major airline.
Below are the specifics.
JetBlue adds 5 routes.
The entire list of new locations served by JetBlue's four nonstop routes departing from LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York is provided below.
• Atlanta — four times every day.
• Bermuda — once per day, only in the summer.
• Massachusetts' Hyannis – once every day, during the summer.
• Bahamas Nassau – once every day.
The daily services to Hyannis and the Bahamas are among the most notable additions.
Weekly flights from American had previously served the LaGuardia to Nassau market, but the addition of daily flights from JetBlue will greatly expand the market's capacity.
According to Cerium timetables, US Airways stopped operating the route between Hyannis and LaGuardia in October 2009. Hyannis is a well-known summer destination on Cape Cod.
American intends to reduce its existing flights in this market as part of JetBlue's new LaGuardia to Atlanta route.
With an Embraer 175 regional jet, the Fort Worth-based carrier now flies the 761-mile trip four times per day.
American will no longer offer the route since a new JetBlue service will be running alongside it.
Despite this, JetBlue's flights will still represent a sizable boost in capacity and an aggressive challenge to Delta's hub-to-hub service in this market.
Additionally, JetBlue announced its intention to fly seasonally between Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR) starting in the summer as its fifth route (at a yet undisclosed date).
As part of a dramatic announcement that was a "top request from travelers," JetBlue started offering service from New York to Vancouver this past summer.
JetBlue initially expected to fly this year from both New York and Boston when it first announced its plans to service Canada.
However, because of operational issues encountered at the start of 2022, the carrier chose to put off the Boston-Vancouver launch indefinitely.
Now, JetBlue has a summer 2019 launch date for this service.
Hopefully, the carrier can carry out these plans without experiencing any more delays.
Next summer, JetBlue will launch Saturday-only Mint business-class service between Newark and Aruba in addition to the new trips.
In 2023, the airline will start operating daily, peak-season flights between Newark and Montego Bay.
In January 2023, tickets for all of JetBlue's new flights will go on sale.
6 new American routes
As part of this final wave of Northeast-focused upgrades, American will begin operating six new routes from LaGuardia on May 5, 2023.
The following are the new LaGuardia destinations for the airline:
• Birmingham — every day.
• Buffalo — three times every day.
• Columbia, South Carolina — every day.
• Grand Rapids, Michigan — once every day.
• Greenville, South Carolina — twice daily.
• Knoxville, Tennessee – once per day.
The Northeast Alliance has significantly expanded with the inclusion of several of these little towns.
This is because, according to Cirium timetables, Delta is now the sole airline operating on these routes.
As a result, the alliance appears to be increasing rivalry in the industry, particularly as Delta seeks to maintain its dominance as the main airline in New York.
Also in New York, American will expand its summer seasonal flights to Asheville, North Carolina, to year-round service.
Additionally, Americans will increase the frequency between Louisville and Boston.
This weekend, American will begin selling its new flights.
Defending the Northeast Alliance
A Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit is now being brought against the Northeast Alliance between American and JetBlue.
Both carriers continue to highlight the advantages of their collaboration despite the fact that the case has already reached the courtroom and is presently awaiting a decision from U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin.
The two airlines will soon service 45 of the top 50 domestic cities thanks to the most recent round of network modifications, a significant expansion that mostly competes with Delta.
Next year, the carriers plan to operate more than 500 daily flights out of the three busiest airports in New York City and close to 200 daily flights out of Boston.
The carriers want to offer about 300 daily departures at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.
In a statement, Dave Fintzen, vice president of the Northeast Alliance for JetBlue, said: "As we continue to improve the Northeast Alliance and link more destinations with new nonstop choices, customers finally have a compelling alternative to the carriers that have dominated the market for too long."
According to the airlines, the agreement has produced a total of about 50 new routes out of New York City and Boston, more than 130 existing routes with higher frequencies, 90 nonstop connections with more capacity, and 17 new overseas destinations.
All eyes now return to the courtroom as we wait for U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin's judgment.
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