Struggling JetBlue shuts down key Newark, LaGuardia operations as New York airport costs soar

JetBlue is shutting down key operations at Newark and LaGuardia airports as the struggling carrier shifts resources to booming South Florida in its latest bid to restore profitability.The Queens-based airline told CNBC on Wednesday that it will still fly to those hubs, but plans to close its flight attendant base at Newark and its technical operations bases there and at LaGuardia this fall as part of a broader effort to cut costs and expand service in Florida.JetBlue said no employees will lose their jobs as a result of the switch and that affected workers will be able to bid for positions or transfer to other bases.“JetBlue is making targeted schedule adjustments, ending seasonal service between Newark (EWR) and Los Angeles (LAX) and Las Vegas (LAS), to support growth in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport,” the airline said in a statement to CNBC.The move marks another retrenchment in the New York-New Jersey market for JetBlue, which has spent years trimming underperforming routes while searching for a path back to consistent profitability.The latest reductions point to JetBlue’s growing frustration with the cost of operating in the New York region — particularly at LaGuardia, where executives have complained that fees have soared following the airport’s multibillion-dollar redevelopment.“We are much, much smaller at LaGuardia than we were four years ago because it’s a $40 airport for us,” JetBlue President Marty St.George said in March, referring to “enplanement” fees charged per customer.“And the fountain is really pretty, but … I think people would rather have low fares than a really nice fountain,” he added, referring to the airport’s 25-foot water feature inside Terminal B.Public fee schedules show LaGuardia’s landing fees have climbed steadily in recent years following the airport’s roughly $8 billion overhaul, making it one of the most expensive airports in the region for airlines to operate from.JetBlue has stea...