JetBlue Sues Florida Department Of Revenue Days After Announcing Tallahassee Exit

JetBlue Airlines has announced it will depart the Floridian airport of Tallahassee in late October. The city’s mayor, John Dailey, reiterated to WTXL that this was a corporate decision that affected seven cities in the airline’s network. At the same time, the local Commissioner, Jack Porter, stressed that this reflected the country’s current economic climate. The New York-based carrier only started serving the city in January. JetBlue currently serves Fort Lauderdale from the airport, and its final service will be on October 26.

The airline noted that it will be leaving Tallahassee due to a lack of passenger demand and the route underperforming. JetBlue currently operates head-to-head with Silver Airways, which services Fort Lauderdale and Tampa. Indirectly, American Airlines (served by American Eagle) connects the airport to Miami. The 458-mile trip between Tallahassee and Fort Lauderdale takes six and a half hours if driving by road.

Photo: Catharine Pierce | Shutterstock

The January arrival of JetBlue to Tallahassee was highly anticipated, and while the airline was not provided any economic development funding, the route was effectively unprofitable for the airline. JetBlue has been trimming several underperforming routes within its network, which can be seen in reduced services to Charlotte Douglas (CLT) and Minneapolis (MSP), among others.

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On track to welcome one million passengers

The northern Florida airport has seen continued growth despite JetBlue’s departure. This year, more than 471,000 passengers have already flown through its facility, an improvement of 15% compared to the same time in 2023. The city’sMayorr has estimated that by the end of the year, the airport will welcome in excess of one million passengers. While locals are disappointed in the suspension of services, the airport continues to work with other airlines to attract new operators to the airport.

Photo: Ryan Fletcher | Shutterstock

JetBlue will operate its last flight to Tallahassee International Airport (TLH) on October 26 and has already started refunding those affected with itineraries booked past this date.

Tallahassee International Airport

Located five miles from downtown Tallahassee, this is the primary airport for the Floridan state capital. It is one of four main airports in the north of the state, alongside Pensacola (PNS), Northwest Florida Beaches (ELH), and Jacksonville (JAX). Despite the ‘international airport’ in the facility name, it does not operate any international services. Upon JetBlue’s departure from the airport, three other carriers will remain:

• American Airlines (operated by American Eagle), serving Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, and Washington-National
• Delta Air Lines (and Delta Connection), serving Atlanta
• Silver Airways, connecting Fort Lauderdale and Tampa

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