JetBlue, Spirit cancel hundreds of weekend flights due to staffing woes, bad weather
JetBlue is reducing its schedule from May through the summer
FOX Business Flash top headlines for April 11
Here are your FOX Business Flash top headlines for April 11.
JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines were forced to cancel and delay a slew of flights over the weekend due to ongoing staffing woes and bad weather that impacted operations.
From Friday through Sunday, JetBlue had 486 cancellations, about 16% of its flight schedule, and 1,556 delayed arrivals, about half its flight schedule, according to a flight tracker FlightAware.
During that same time, Spirit Airlines had 311 cancellations, about 13% of its flight schedule, and 934 delayed arrivals, which accounted for 40% of its flight schedule.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JBLU | JETBLUE AIRWAYS CORP. | 6.19 | +0.22 | +3.69% |
| SAVE | NO DATA AVAILABLE | - | - | - |
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It's the latest woe for the two airlines, which are beginning merger talks after JetBlue submitted a bid to buy Spirit earlier this month.
Travelers check-in at a JetBlue Airways kiosk at John F. Kennedy Airport in the Queens borough of New York. (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo / Reuters Photos)
Spirit Airlines spokesperson Erik Hofmeyer told USAToday that its operations were hindered by poor weather and air traffic control issues in Florida last week.
Meanwhile, JetBlue told FOX Business that the carrier faced a "number of tough operating days" over the past week, which started with "severe weather challenges and air traffic control delays up and down the East Coast."
On top of that, JetBlue said it's also facing staffing issues even after hiring more than 3,000 new crew members this year.
"We remain staffing constrained and these disruptions exacerbate an already challenging staffing situation," the airline continued.
People stand in line to check in at the Spirt Airlines counter at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on May 9, 2017 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. ( Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)
JetBlue said it canceled flights this past weekend to try and get back on track. However, it will also be making "a small schedule adjustment" through the rest of April and will even reduce its schedule starting in May through the summer.
"Given we anticipate continued industry challenges and heavy demand into the summer, we are planning more conservatively and trying to be proactive where we can with cancellations due to disruptive weather and air traffic control events," the carrier said.
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JetBlue isn't the only carrier reducing its schedule, either. Last week, Alaska Airlines announced that it was reducing 2% of its flights through the end of June due to a pilot shortage.