After Merger Blocked, JetBlue To Drop Some Westchester Flights: Report

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — In an internal memo, JetBlue Airways staff learned that the carrier will cut routes in an effort to improve the bottom line after a planned merger with Spirit Airlines was blocked, according to a new report.

And it appears that Westchester County Airport (HPN) will be among the destinations affected.

JetBlue said it will stop flying seasonal service between HPN and Martha’s Vineyard, according to an internal memo, which was obtained by CNBC.

"We can’t fly everywhere we’d like, so we need to be highly selective about where we point our aircraft in order to turn a profit, support our overall network strategy, and offer a reliable operation," JetBlue VP Dave Jehn wrote in the communication to staff, as reported by CNBC.

While the airline is cutting some service in Westchester, dropping some cross-country routes from JFK, and pulling out of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport altogether, the carrier plans to add service to the Caribbean and to Paris, according to the report.

JetBlue said in a statement to The Points Guy that the changes were in "no way" related to the judge’s decision to block the proposed merger.

"The changes we are announcing today have been in the works for nearly a month — long before we got the court's decision on our acquisition of Spirit Airlines," the airline said in a statement to the frequent flyer news site.

The airline said that the moves will allow the company to focus on improving on-time performance and putting resources where they will best serve passengers.

"We constantly adjust our network to support our strategy and these recent changes are a necessary quick step to help return our business to profitability," JetBlue told CNBC. "All the routes included have recently underperformed our expectations and these changes come as post-COVID travel patterns continue to evolve."