JetBlue Cancels Flights From Long Island's MacArthur To Boston

LONG ISLAND, NY — JetBlue canceled the new route from Long Island MacArthur Airport to Boston on Tuesday, Islip Town officials said.

The flights, which were announced in January, were planned as part of daily nonstop service between the airport, which is run by Islip Town, and Boston from the spring until Oct. 25.

In a statement to Patch, an airline spokesperson said that while officials were excited to launch the summer seasonal service between Islip and Boston, they canceled the route because bookings have not met expectations.

"This is one of the steps we are taking to manage our business through softer-than-expected travel demand this year and economic uncertainty," the spokesperson said.

"We know this change may be disappointing for those who had already booked travel, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience," they said. "All impacted customers will have the option of a refund or will be booked on a flight between Boston and New York JFK."

Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter said town officials have been watching economic indicators "that historically affect the aviation industry," and "most notably, consumer confidence has decreased, discretionary credit card spending is declining," and the cost of leisure travel, including hotel and airfare is up.

She said "the good news is," that through Q1 2025, Long Island MacArthur Airport has been a regional leader in performance and profitability for our air carrier partners.

It experienced a one percent increase in seat growth, and a 20 percent increase in capacity with the launch of JetBlue’s service, which has increased the frequency of two of its three inaugural destinations launched in October 2024, and the announcement of Avelo Airlines’ service to three new destinations, she said.

The airport’s niche brand for convenience continues to drive customers, according to Carpenter.

"The town and airport are committed to supporting its air carrier partners through its marketing efforts in Long Island and at the destination," she said. "We work very hard to promote air carrier services and products through our marketing efforts. We immediately began promoting JetBlue’s ISP to Boston service to raise awareness among Long Island travelers."

"But our efforts are only a part of a new destination’s success," she said. "We need to put people in seats to keep and retain routes."