Jetblue Airways Corp. (JBLU) wanted 8 slots at the busy airport but cut their request in half to four. According to the FAA order Jetblue must start flying by January 27, 2007. No word on where the airline plans to fly to however I can offer up some suggestions. Don't expect them to do flights on the routes that both United and American fly. United and American are going to protect their precious hub airports and a price war will drive Jetblue away.
But a flight or two will probably head back to their New York hub and maybe a flight or two to some of their more popular holiday destinations. However the airline could surprise everyone and offer up new services out of Chicago but that is not expected. JetBlue’s request was approved just before a new FAA anti-congestion rule takes effect near the end of this month. The rule would have required new carriers to buy or lease available landing slots at O’Hare from other carriers. Because the request was approved before the rule goes into effect, JetBlue will not have to pay for landing rights at O’Hare, the nation’s second-largest airport in terms of total passengers.
“We see Chicago as a huge opportunity for us as a low-cost carrier,” the JetBlue spokesman said, calling the city “a huge population base missing from our route network.”
Chicago Business News
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