JetBlue may restore its popular route between Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport and New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport by October 2024 after abruptly terminating it earlier this year, according to Vermont’s congressional delegation.
The airline cited a chronic shortage of air traffic controllers, both at John F. Kennedy International Airport and nationwide, when it announced in October that it was pulling out of the Burlington airport. Due to the shortage, the Federal Aviation Administration has offered airlines “slot waivers” through October 2024, allowing them to temporarily suspend air routes but retain the right to reinstate them when the workforce shortage eases.
During a meeting with Vermont’s three members of Congress Wednesday, JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes reportedly said that “When the slot waiver expires, JetBlue expects to restore service from Burlington to New York,” according to a Thursday afternoon press release from the delegation.
“We expect the current air traffic controller shortage to last for some time and will continue to engage policy makers in Washington to address the current ATC staffing shortages,” JetBlue wrote in a statement to VTDigger Thursday. “If the controller shortage is resolved and slot waivers are removed, we will be happy to reconsider our plans for Burlington.”
News of JetBlue’s intentions to suspend the Burlington-JFK route was met with criticism in late October, including from U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., as well as U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt. At the time, the delegation wrote in a letter to Hayes that the airline’s decision “has the potential to harm businesses in our state and make travel for constituents between Vermont and New York significantly more difficult.”
“We urge you not to leave rural America behind by abandoning this essential service in places like Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport and remain willing to work with you to help address some of the circumstances that led to your decision,” the delegation wrote at the time.
For Vermont’s busiest airport, the twice-daily route was critical. Roughly 10% of Burlington’s air travelers flew to and from JFK each month, many of whom utilized the major hub as a layover point to reach their final destinations.
