JetBlue Granted Slots At Amsterdam Schiphol

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2 years ago

After weeks of complaining against authorities in the Netherlands, JetBlue has finally managed to secure slots at Amsterdam Schiphol. But the approval still leaves the airline’s future in Amsterdam in the balance as these rights have been granted on a temporary basis, with the carrier’s slots for winter and beyond still uncertain.

“Commercially questionable” slots granted

After much struggle, JetBlue has finally been grated slots for its flights to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. This has come weeks after JetBlue complained of “anti-competitive” and “discriminatory” treatment, leading the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) to initiate proceedings against the Government of the Netherlands.

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The New York-based airline wants to operate a daily service from both JFK and Boston Logan using its Airbus A321LR aircraft, the same model it flies to London. But JetBlue’s slot request at Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) in September for the launch of operations summer of 2023 was denied.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

JetBlue’s attempts at acquiring slots vacated by airlines, such as Flybe and Aeroflot, weren’t successful, and when nothing worked, the airline resorted to a formal complaint.

But JetBlue’s current slots aren’t exactly the best ones when it comes to departure timings out of New York JFK. In its latest regulatory filing, the airline said,

“The temporary slots accepted by JetBlue were not at commercially desirable times, as they involved an arrival time of 3 pm at AMS (local time), which would necessitate a JFK departure time of 1:20 am (local time). Nevertheless, JetBlue’s acceptance of these temporary slots underscores its eagerness to enter the U.S.-Amsterdam air services market.”

JetBlue is not entirely happy

The word “temporary” also jumps out from the quote above, as Amsterdam has not guaranteed the continuity of these rights beyond the summer schedule. This means that JetBlue has no idea whether it can continue these flights to Amsterdam after October 28th.

Photo: JetBlue

Amsterdam is also tightlipped about JetBlue getting these slots again in 2024, as they do not come with “historical rights.” JetBlue is clearly unhappy with this arrangement, saying that its customers would be adversely impacted and it would face reputational harm if, shortly after entering the market, it was forced to cancel its services due to a lack of any slots for the upcoming scheduling season. It further adds in its filing,

“…the temporary status of the slots allocated to JetBlue present significant market planning challenges; like many other airlines, JetBlue’s flights go out for sale 331 days in advance, and the typical booking curve for a long-haul market such as JFK-AMS is often several months before departure.”

While JetBlue has accepted the slots for now, the fight for its future survival in Amsterdam is nowhere near over.

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