JetBlue prepares to retire its smallest plane at the end of next year
The smallest plane in JetBlue’s fleet is nearing the end of its career — a plane that has certainly seen better days.
The New York-based airline now plans to phase out about two dozen of the remaining Embraer E190 jets in its fleet by the end of 2025, executives confirmed on Tuesday.
This news comes despite the revelation that JetBlue will actually be leaning towards than The airline detailed plans Tuesday to delay delivery dates for dozens of new jets as it tries to return the company to profitability for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
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JetBlue E190 approaches exit
The E190 is easily the smallest aircraft in JetBlue’s fleet, carrying 100 passengers in a two-passenger, two-seat configuration — nearly 30% smaller than the Airbus A220 fleet replacements are common.
JetBlue still has 22 E190s in service, CFO Ursula Hurley said on a conference call with analysts Tuesday.
Hurley said the airline plans to retire six of those jets by the end of 2024 and the remaining 15 by the end of 2025.
To be sure, these jets have advantages—at least in the main cabin—over similar planes operated by the regional fleets of the “Big Three” legacy airlines. Even JetBlue’s smaller E190s boast the seatback screens, live TV, and free Wi-Fi that are staples of the airline’s brand.
But planes (and seatback screens) are showing their age these days.
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TPG flew the plane as part of the 2021 search to find the “worst airplane seats in America,” although it generally received better reviews than some similar airlines.
JetBlue focuses on existing fleet
Even as JetBlue says goodbye to its E190 fleet, it is still holding off on new jets.
The airline announced a major change on Tuesday, revealing a deal with Airbus to accelerate the delivery of 44 A321neo aircraft beyond 2030 — deferring nearly $3 billion in costs.
The incident comes as the airline has struggled with poor financial performance in recent years and prolonged maintenance (due to an engine issue at Pratt & Whitney affecting many of its A320neo aircraft) has complicated its future plans.
JetBlue expects to have an average of 11 aircraft grounded at any given time through 2024 — a number that’s expected to increase by 2025 and impact the airline (and other carriers) in the years to come.
“At this stage, we cannot continue to take on costly new aircraft that may need to be parked due to engine issues,” Hurley said on Tuesday.
However, executives acknowledged that delaying the delivery of new aircraft would require changes to JetBlue’s plans.
While it is not delaying the retirement of its E190s, the airline is planning to extend the lives of some of its A320s.
JetBlue aircraft types
JetBlue executives note that retiring the E190 will allow the airline to have a simpler fleet of A220s and A320-family aircraft. Although there are still quite a few differences in what you’ll find on the airline’s A320s today, including:
- A321LR (long range) with Mint Suites and two Mint Studios
- A321neo with Mint Suites
- A321neo with upgraded interior
- Classic A321 with heritage interior
- Classic A321 with old Mint seats
- A320 with upgraded interior
- Classic A320 with heritage interior
In any case, the A220 still has a better interior and passenger experience than the outgoing E190. It also offers more legroom than Even More Space; plus, compared to the E190, its improved fuel efficiency makes it a much better option for JetBlue in terms of operating costs.
The network change is almost complete.
Despite the change in aircraft plans, executives say another major shift for JetBlue is largely complete: significant changes to its network.
In four announcements since the spring, JetBlue has revealed more than 50 route cuts and announced plans to leave 15 cities. Many of the changes — including some just announced last week — effective in October.
But CEO Joanna Geraghty told analysts that big surprises appeared to be around the corner.
“We will probably have some more modest changes, but you shouldn’t expect this level of network change… to be ongoing,” Geraghty said.
The Future of the Transatlantic
As part of recent network changes, JetBlue has increased investment in “key” East Coast leisure markets in New England, New York, Florida and Latin America.
The airline has also been diverting some Mint-equipped aircraft away from Europe during the winter months to warmer destinations like Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), a strategy that president Marty St. George said was just a seasonal change — not a change in JetBlue’s overall optimism about Europe — when speaking to TPG in exclusive interview last month.
Geraghty reiterated Tuesday that Europe remains “a significant part of JetBlue’s market” and that the recent changes “do not mean a retreat.” She acknowledged that the flight suspensions announced this week “will have an impact” on the airline’s future transatlantic growth.
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