In late October, United Airlines said it will suspend service to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport JFK. Earlier this month, United had threatened to take action if the Federal Aviation Administration FAA didn't grant the air carrier additional flights.
United flew twice daily to San Francisco and Los Angeles from JFK, the busiest New York-area airport, after resuming service in 2021.
United temporarily suspended service at JFK, due to the fact that our current, too-small to be competitive schedule is out of JFK, coupled with the start of the Winter season when more airlines resume JFK flying. The airline didn't say when it would resume service.
United said its discussions with the FAA have been constructive, but it's also clear that the process to add additional capacity at JFK will take some time. The decision will affect 100 employees who work at JFK, but United emphasized that no one is losing their job and employees will transition to other nearby stations.
United has been working to obtain additional slots through the FAA and by seeking commercial agreements to acquire slots from other airlines, which are takeoff and landing authorizations.
United said that it can't serve JFK effectively without permanent slots, compared to the larger schedules and more attractive flight times flown by our competitors like JetBlue Airways and American Airlines.
In 2015, United struck a long-term deal to lease 24 year-round slots at JFK to Delta Air Lines, as it left JFK service to focus on its nearby Newark hub in northern New Jersey.
United argues there is room to grow at JFK, the 13th busiest U.S. airport, because the FAA and the Port Authority have made significant investments in the past, including the widening of runways, the construction of multi-entrance taxiways, and the creation of aligned high-speed turnoffs.