Why JetBlue Is Happy to See the Summer End

JetBlue was in a good place going into the key summer season but a series of setbacks have taken some of the shine off its performance.

The airline on Wednesday lowered revenue guidance for the third quarter of its 2019 financial year.

“We had a lot of momentum going into the summer and we continue to have momentum but not quite as much as we thought,” said Joanna Geraghty, president and chief operating officer at JetBlue at the World Aviation Festival in London on Thursday.

Geraghty explained that most of the downgrade came from temporary issues, such as the situation in Puerto Rico with about a third down to “softness” in the market.

“We’re still seeing strong demand across the leisure sector, particularly in our domestic network so we’re seeing good things but the year has been choppy. We’ve had a couple of puts and takes earlier in the year. We’re keeping a close on it, but we’re cautiously optimistic in terms of what we’re seeing,” she said.

Transatlantic Services

The airline made headlines on both sides of the Atlantic earlier this year when it confirmed flights to Europe but it has yet to confirm exactly where it will be flying to in London.

Heathrow Airport makes the most sense if it wants to maximize attractiveness for business travelers but Geraghty said Gatwick, Luton, and Stansted were still all under consideration.

“We think a number of London airports could work for us and we are working through those scenarios right now,” Geraghty said.

Geraghty did not rule out flying into more than one London airport.