JetBlue plans to cut flights for New York area amid air traffic controller shortage
JetBlue Airways is preparing to cut scores of weekly flights in the New York City area this spring and summer in response to a shortage of air traffic controllers, a measure that will have a financial impact on the airline, CEO Robin Hayes told CNBC on Wednesday. Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration unveiled a new plan to help avoid a repeat of 2022′s flight disruptions, reducing flight requirements by up to 10% for airlines’ takeoff and landing rights to avoid congestion in the New York City area and Washington, D.C. The FAA cited its staffing shortfall. The waivers will last from May 15 through Sept. 15. “We don’t want to pull down flights. I’m sure no airline wants to pull down flights,” Hayes said in an interview with CNBC ahead of an event at the Economic Club of New York. “But if we don’t cut them the system is not going to be workable this summer.” The staffing shortfall and potential schedule cuts in the region highlight the difficulty airlines have faced to ramp u...