With loss of low-cost airline, Boise ends direct flights to only East Coast destination
Nonstop flights from Idaho to New York City have concluded for the foreseeable future with JetBlue Airways ceasing its brief run at the Boise Airport, taking its lone seasonal route with it.
The New York-based discount air carrier’s one-year experiment in Boise has come to an end, airport officials confirmed to the Idaho Statesman. JetBlue’s exit from the market drops the Boise Airport to six commercial airlines, with low-cost carriers Avelo Airlines and Spirit Airlines each set to launch service later this year.
JetBlue’s nonstop route between Boise and New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport began in July 2021, concluding its four-flights-per-week summer service in early September. The flight represented the first time Boise boasted nonstop service to New York City, and was both the airport’s longest flight and farthest east.
“It’s unfortunate that JetBlue will not be returning this summer,” Shawna Samuelson, a Boise Airport spokesperson, told the Statesman by email. “We understand JetBlue has to makes difficult business decisions when determining their schedule and we would happily welcome them back to BOI in the future.”
JetBlue previously committed to restoring the seasonal route to the Big Apple this June, but has since shifted to cutting back on some flights to lower pressure on its overall operations, a JetBlue spokesperson said.
“Most of the capacity reductions we’ve identified take place through frequency changes, but we are also delaying a few reopenings and launches, and suspending several routes for a portion or all of the summer,” said Philip Stewart, the JetBlue spokesperson, in an emailed statement. “These adjustments also help reduce flying that does not make as much sense in the current environment of significantly higher fuel prices.”
More limited options east
With Allegiant Air’s earlier decision to cut its summer seasonal route between Boise and Nashville for the year, that leaves Delta Air Lines’ daily nonstop flight to Atlanta as the airport’s only option in the eastern U.S. for travelers, beyond Chicago and Minneapolis in the Midwest.
JetBlue’s departure also decreases the Boise Airport total to 26 destinations with nonstop service, once Avelo Airlines introduces flights between Boise and Burbank, California, on May 24, and Alaska Airlines adds daily flights to Idaho Falls on June 16.
Nonstop flights to New York City remain on the Boise Airport’s list of most desired destinations. The others include Boston; Honolulu; Orlando, Florida; Anchorage, Alaska; and additional routes within Idaho.
“The Boise Airport is in constant communications with our airline partners to attract new service, including bringing additional nonstop service to the East Coast,” Samuelson said. “We frequently attend conferences and other industry gatherings to discuss possible air service additions with new and existing airline partners.”
To add new locations, the Boise Airport maintains a financial incentive program of up to $125,000 in credits for airlines toward fees that they would usually pay for use of the terminal and runway. Airlines are eligible for the incentive if they offer at least twice-weekly, year-round service in and out of Boise.
JetBlue’s New York City flight did not qualify for a lower-tier incentive, because it operated as a seasonal route but not for the minimum 90-day period necessary, Samuelson said.
JetBlue and Spirit, based in South Florida, are currently engaged in merger negotiations. As it stands, Spirit has a similar agreement in place with Denver-based Frontier Airlines, which would make the pair the nation’s fifth-largest airline.
Masks no longer required
The Boise Airport said Tuesday that the wearing of face masks to reduce the spread of COVID-19 is now optional for travelers, though individual airlines may have their own rules.
On Monday, a federal judge in Florida overturned the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-issued requirement in airports and on planes. The decision triggered the U.S. Transportation Security Administration to announce that it will no longer enforce the mandate, which the Biden administration last week extended until May 3.
“Without a federal mandate and as a department within the city of Boise, the Boise Airport will now follow the city’s guidance around face coverings, where masks are currently optional within city facilities,” Samuelson told the Statesman.
The Boise Airport’s passenger totals have continued to climb back from the two-year pandemic downturn. The airport posted its second-busiest February on record this year, at more than 291,000 travelers.
The 576,000 passengers counted through the first two months of 2022 also put the airport on pace to rival its all-time record of more than 4.1 million passengers in 2019, before the pandemic.
Idaho Statesman reporter Sally Krutzig contributed.
This story was originally published April 19, 2022 at 12:53 PM.
