JetBlue, Spirit Cancel 600 More Weekend Flights

[In The News]

DALLAS – Hundreds of JetBlue (B6) and Spirit Airlines (NK) flights were canceled this weekend due to staffing shortages and inclement weather in Florida.

The flight problems occur as the airlines begin merger discussions in the wake of B6’s stunning bid for NK, which has stated that it will consider the offer while remaining committed to its original merger agreement with Frontier (F9).

According to flight tracker FlightAware, the two airlines, which were among the carriers with the most cancellations a week ago as Florida weather troubles impacted travel across the country, have canceled a total of 254 flights on Sunday after canceling more than 300 flights on Saturday. That’s more than half of all canceled flights in the United States.

According to USA Today, as of 2:30 pm EST, B6 had canceled 18% of its Saturday flights and 13% of its Sunday flights. NK has canceled 14% of its Saturday flights and 13% of its Sunday flights due to the weather.

Orlando International Airport. Photo: orlando.gov

Comments from JetBlue, Spirit Airlines

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JetBlue’s problems prompted the airline’s president Joanna Geraghty to apologize to staff via email late Saturday.

“We had some big news at JetBlue this week, and while that has rightly been the focus of a lot of buzz, I want to assure you our #1 priority right now is the operation,” Geraghty said. “You have been simply incredible under very difficult circumstances, and we want to thank you for all you are doing to take care of our Customers. We are letting you and our customers down, and that is not consistent with what we stand for.”

Geraghty said poor weather and Air Traffic Control (ATC) delays have led to “cascading problems” in April. The flight cancellations and delays have put planes and flight crews out of place, which in turn has worsened staffing shortages. B6 has hired 2,300 workers this year but is still short, Geraghty said.

Spirit spokesperson Erik Hofmeyer said the low-cost carrier is still dealing with flight cancellations as it recovers from bad weather and ATC problems in Florida on Thursday and Friday.

JetBlue plans to cut flights proactively for the rest of April to avoid stranding travelers due to last-minute cancellations, according to Geraghty, and it also expects to lower its summer flight schedule by at least 8% to 10% despite projections of an increase in demand.

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Featured image: Andrew Henderson/Airways

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