JetBlue is still working to expand its European network even though it recently debuted a brand-new service to Paris.
The New York-based airline is engaged in a legal blitz to obtain approval to fly to Amsterdam, which would serve as its third European market after London and Paris.
After a recent request to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for assistance in gaining entry to slots at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS), JetBlue has now received these highly sought-after takeoff and landing permissions—but with a twist.
According to a March 21 public filing with the DOT, the carrier was given short-term slots that had previously been allotted to the now-defunct FlyBe instead of long-term slots, which would have allowed JetBlue to serve Amsterdam for the foreseeable future.
These slots are actually just good for this summer, and JetBlue hasn't been given authorization by the Dutch aviation authority to hold onto them indefinitely.
The carrier would suffer "reputational harm" if it were forced to cancel its Amsterdam flights once the winter season arrived, according to the public filing, therefore these limited-time slots provide "major market planning issues" for JetBlue.
JetBlue informed us in a thorough statement that it will not begin operations in Amsterdam without reliable access to the city.
"JetBlue is a market disruptor on the transatlantic routes, and we've long maintained that we think customers on both ends of these routes deserve better service at a lower price point than what is offered at the moment.
We have been given seasonal temporary slots in Amsterdam, which means that JetBlue can be kicked out of the airport right away after starting the route.
By every channel open to us, including the U.S. Department of Transportation, we will continue to aggressively pursue permanent slots.
Customers flying between the U.S. and Amsterdam would appreciate JetBlue's exceptional service and affordable prices, so we will hold off on making that decision until we are farther along in the process."
JetBlue's arguments are reasonable. The majority of carriers would be unwilling to make an investment in a brand-new market only to learn that they must quit after a few months.
JetBlue is worried that the upcoming cap on yearly departures and arrivals at AMS will make it more difficult for it to get these slots, even though the carrier continues to ask the DOT for assistance in obtaining permanent access to Amsterdam.
The number of annual aircraft movements (takeoffs and landings) at AMS will be capped at 440,000, down 60,000 from the previous quota, as part of an effort to lessen air and noise pollution in the area. This so-called "Balanced Approach" is scheduled to go into effect in November 2023.
So, despite a big victory for the airline's projected Amsterdam service in the form of temporary slots, JetBlue still confronts what is quickly becoming an uphill battle to serve the Dutch capital.
A recent interview with JetBlue's president and chief operational officer, Joanna Geraghty, claimed that "entrenched legacy carriers and joint ventures that have been established for years are hindering the capacity for others to thrive."
It's possible that Geraghty is talking to the transatlantic joint venture between Air France-KLM and Delta, which operates up to five flights each day between New York and Amsterdam. In addition, just two airlines provide flights between Boston and Amsterdam: Delta and KLM.
JetBlue will increase its flight schedule to Amsterdam if it ever acquires the necessary slots. With the five brand-new Airbus A321LR aircraft that JetBlue expects to receive this year, Geraghty said, "We can do them both." He was referring to flights to both Paris and Amsterdam.
In the hopes that they would eventually answer and invite us in, we will keep knocking on their door, Geraghty added.
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