News
JetBlue increases flights
Airline nearly doubles weekly service at Bob Hope Airport, while Southwest will have to cut back as of May 11.
By Jeremy Oberstein
BURBANK — The two most popular carriers at Bob Hope Airport are set to undergo major changes in May, as JetBlue Airlines will double its weekly operations and Southwest Airlines plans to reduce 18 flights a week.
Starting May 21, JetBlue will be adding two daily flights to Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., and one daily flight to Las Vegas.
The airline will also be adding three flights from its hub at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Burbank.
The increase nearly doubles the number of JetBlue weekly flights at Bob Hope Airport from 64 to 112, a move that officials say better meets customer demand.
“We’ve had a lot of success in Burbank, and customers keep asking us to add flights,” JetBlue spokesman Sebastian White said.
“Washington was one of their top requests. But the net effect is no added capacity in the market.”
Though the runs will be new to Burbank, they are not new to JetBlue, as the operations shifted from Long Beach Airport to Burbank, White said.
“We won’t be necessarily adding customers or substantially increasing revenue, per se,” he said.
Still, amid a panic in the airline industry in which five carriers have recently declared bankruptcy, the fact that JetBlue is able to maintain a steady stream of departures and arrivals is good news, Burbank airport commissioner Don Brown said.
The number of JetBlue passengers also increased in February at Bob Hope, according to airport records.
The airline brought in about 31,300 passengers, a mark that was nearly 19% above last year’s number, the report said.
While JetBlue continues to grow in Burbank, Southwest, the most popular carrier at Bob Hope, is curtailing some of its operations in light of high oil prices and a tepid economy that have slowed customer growth, officials said.
The Dallas-based airline will cut 18 flights from its weekly operations starting May 11, which will result in a reduction of service to Oakland, Phoenix and Sacramento.
A total of four weekday arrivals and departures will be cut from Oakland to Burbank, one round-trip flight to and from Phoenix, and one departure and one arrival will be cut to and from Sacramento.
On Saturdays, Southwest will cut its last remaining arrival from Phoenix to Burbank and will cut one Sacramento departure.
On Sundays, the airline will cut one arrival from Sacramento.
The upcoming move follows an October announcement from Southwest that anticipated slower growth in 2008, spokeswoman Whitney Eichinger said.
“We’ve gone through the schedule and looked at flight frequency to see where we would be able to trim service,” she said.
“We continue to deal with high fuel prices. This is about retooling what we’re offering.”
But its decreased outlook has not affected the number of passengers flying Southwest, according to airport statistics. Southwest flew more than 286,000 passengers in February, about 7% more than in February 2007.
Still, Southwest could face a decline in passengers, Brown said.
“It’s the economy and the fact that people aren’t flying as much now,” he said, adding that the airport will not be increasing operations due to the reshuffling. “We will still maintain X number of passengers and X number of flights.”
Some residents, including longtime airport critic Stan Hyman, feared that JetBlue’s move could increase passengers and traffic in the area.
“As a business you can’t blame them, but there may be more of a crunch in the morning,” he said.
“Little by little, the airport is becoming a reliever for LAX.”
Starting May 21, JetBlue will be adding two daily flights to Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., and one daily flight to Las Vegas.
The airline will also be adding three flights from its hub at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Burbank.
The increase nearly doubles the number of JetBlue weekly flights at Bob Hope Airport from 64 to 112, a move that officials say better meets customer demand.
“We’ve had a lot of success in Burbank, and customers keep asking us to add flights,” JetBlue spokesman Sebastian White said.
“Washington was one of their top requests. But the net effect is no added capacity in the market.”
Though the runs will be new to Burbank, they are not new to JetBlue, as the operations shifted from Long Beach Airport to Burbank, White said.
“We won’t be necessarily adding customers or substantially increasing revenue, per se,” he said.
Still, amid a panic in the airline industry in which five carriers have recently declared bankruptcy, the fact that JetBlue is able to maintain a steady stream of departures and arrivals is good news, Burbank airport commissioner Don Brown said.
The number of JetBlue passengers also increased in February at Bob Hope, according to airport records.
The airline brought in about 31,300 passengers, a mark that was nearly 19% above last year’s number, the report said.
While JetBlue continues to grow in Burbank, Southwest, the most popular carrier at Bob Hope, is curtailing some of its operations in light of high oil prices and a tepid economy that have slowed customer growth, officials said.
The Dallas-based airline will cut 18 flights from its weekly operations starting May 11, which will result in a reduction of service to Oakland, Phoenix and Sacramento.
A total of four weekday arrivals and departures will be cut from Oakland to Burbank, one round-trip flight to and from Phoenix, and one departure and one arrival will be cut to and from Sacramento.
On Saturdays, Southwest will cut its last remaining arrival from Phoenix to Burbank and will cut one Sacramento departure.
On Sundays, the airline will cut one arrival from Sacramento.
The upcoming move follows an October announcement from Southwest that anticipated slower growth in 2008, spokeswoman Whitney Eichinger said.
“We’ve gone through the schedule and looked at flight frequency to see where we would be able to trim service,” she said.
“We continue to deal with high fuel prices. This is about retooling what we’re offering.”
But its decreased outlook has not affected the number of passengers flying Southwest, according to airport statistics. Southwest flew more than 286,000 passengers in February, about 7% more than in February 2007.
Still, Southwest could face a decline in passengers, Brown said.
“It’s the economy and the fact that people aren’t flying as much now,” he said, adding that the airport will not be increasing operations due to the reshuffling. “We will still maintain X number of passengers and X number of flights.”
Some residents, including longtime airport critic Stan Hyman, feared that JetBlue’s move could increase passengers and traffic in the area.
“As a business you can’t blame them, but there may be more of a crunch in the morning,” he said.
“Little by little, the airport is becoming a reliever for LAX.”
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