JetBlue Airways is taking a second bite at the apple — the Big Apple, that is.
Almost 12 years after abandoning service to New York City from Pittsburgh, the airline once again is flying back into Gotham.
It will launch a daily flight between Pittsburgh International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport starting April 30. The service will bring another carrier to a market where five airlines compete for travelers.
JetBlue operated the route for six years before shutting it down on Feb 27, 2013, attributing its demise to the inability to turn a profit.
During its last run, the airline was credited with driving down fares to New York City from Pittsburgh by 20% after entering the market in June 2006. It started with four flights a day before cutting that to two as demand dissipated.
JetBlue tried a number of strategies, including adjusting the time of daily departures and arrivals, without success. Fares to New York skyrocketed after the airline ended the service.
The new flight will leave Pittsburgh at 7 a.m. and touch down at JFK at 8:30 a.m., according to the Allegheny County Airport Authority, which announced the service Wednesday. The return flight will depart New York at 10:15 p.m. and land in Pittsburgh at just before midnight.
Flights can be booked at JetBlue.com.
According to the authority, which operates Pittsburgh International, the flight is part of a summer expansion by the airline that includes multiple new routes and cities.
“With these new destinations and routes, JetBlue is introducing even more travelers to our industry-leading service, strengthening our position in New York and as the East Coast’s leisure airline,” Daniel Shurz, JetBlue’s head of revenue, network and enterprise planning, said in a statement.
Boston-based research firm EBP-US estimated for the Airport Authority the JetBlue New York flight will generate $14 million in regional economic impact and deliver up to 136 jobs. The airline will use an Airbus A220-300 airplane that seats up to 140 passengers to fly the route.
The only place JetBlue currently flies to from Pittsburgh is Boston, with two flights a day. The airline plans to upgrade the aircraft for those flights from an Embraer E190 to an Airbus A220 later this year.
Other airlines that serve the New York market are American and Delta with flights to LaGuardia Airport and JFK, and Spirit and United with service to Newark Liberty International Airport.
First Published: January 15, 2025, 6:05 p.m.
Updated: January 16, 2025, 5:30 p.m.