JetBlue Announces Major Shift for the Summer After Hundreds of Flight Cancellations Airlines are hoping to avoid a repeat of last season's travel chaos.

By Amanda Breen Edited by Jessica Thomas

It's been a rough time for travel; many people were left scrambling to get to their destinations last week after bad weather in Florida led to hundreds of cancellations and delays across major U.S. airlines. But JetBlue passengers were hit particularly hard over the weekend when more than 300 flights were canceled due to staffing shortages, CNBC reports.

Now, as JetBlue looks ahead to what it anticipates to be an extremely busy peak travel season, it's reconsidering its strategy for the summer. "We've already reduced May capacity 8-10% and you can expect to see a similar size capacity pull for the remainder of the summer," Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue's COO and president, said in an email to staff on Saturday, which was viewed by CNBC.

Related: Southwest Airlines CEO Speaks Out on Cancellation Chaos and Vaccine Mandate

Airlines are hoping to avoid a repeat of last season's travel mayhem, when Covid-induced staffing challenges resulted in hundreds of canceled flights and delays. "I think everyone recognizes that the industry still remains very much in recovery mode, so we believe this proactive step is the right decision," Geraghty wrote. According to Geraghty's email, despite hiring 2,500 people this year, JetBlue still doesn't have the staff required to run at full capacity.

JetBlue isn't the first major airline to adjust its summer schedule to combat the ongoing staff shortage. After canceling dozens of flights at the beginning of the month, Alaska Airlines announced last week that it would reduce its schedule by 2% through the end of June. "The primary cause of cancellations is the shortage of pilots available to fly versus what was planned when we built our April schedule in January," the airline said on Friday.

Related: Disgruntled Customers Sound Off on Southwest Airlines Amid Cancellations

Per Geraghty's email, JetBlue will share more details about its mitigation strategy in the coming weeks. Over the course of the month, U.S. airline executives will reveal their staffing and capacity plans.

Last week, JetBlue also made headlines for its $3.6 billion offer to purchase Spirit Airlines, potentially thwarting Frontier Airlines' plans to acquire the budget carrier.

JetBlue Airways Corporation was up 2.52% as of 10:35 a.m. EST.

Amanda Breen

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior Features Writer

Amanda Breen is a senior features writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate of Barnard College and received an MFA in writing at Columbia University, where she was a news fellow for the School of the Arts.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Side Hustle

This Mom's Side Hustle Selling a $600 Children's Toy Became a Business Making Over $1 Million a Year: 'There Is a Lot to Love'

Shari Raymond, a mother of three, was looking for a specific toy — and was "shocked" when she couldn't find it.

Social Media

With This LinkedIn Algorithm Change, Your Best Posts Could Reach New Readers for Months

It's one of many new features rolling out on the platform in 2024.

Business News

Morgan Stanley Plans to Lay Off 2,000 Workers, Replacing Some with AI

Morgan Stanley's planned job cuts are both performance and AI-based.

Starting a Business

A Teen With Cerebral Palsy Pitched a Creative Product in School. He Got a B- — Then Grew the Business to $5 Million a Year Anyway.

Drew Davis, founder of Crippling Hot Sauce, uses humor and business to make a major impact.

Business News

The Fed's Decision to Keep Rates Steady Is 'Unsurprising,' According to a JPMorgan Expert. Here's Why.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said that the Fed wasn't in any rush to make rate adjustments.