JetBlue To Leave Long Beach Airport In Favor Of LAX

LONG BEACH, CA — JetBlue will cease flying out of Long Beach Airport, shifting operations to Los Angeles International Airport, the airline announced Thursday. It marks the end of an era characterized by nearly 20 years of the some of the most hassle-free air travel in all of Southern California.

JetBlue's final flight out of Long Beach will be in October. JetBlue has been operating out of Long Beach Airport since 2001, helping the airport to become a popular alternative to busier airports such as LAX and John Wayne Airport. The shift to LAX, is part of a strategic expansion for JetBlue, according to the airline.

"We will always be grateful for the investment JetBlue made in our community and the tremendous service they offered our passengers," said Long Beach Airport Director Cynthia Guidry. " We understand that the aviation industry -- now more than ever -- is constantly changing and airlines nationwide are making difficult business decisions to stay competitive in light of the pandemic. We expect strong interest in the slots as they become available."

JetBlue said it plans to embark on a strategic expansion over the next five years with support from Los Angeles World Airports, with plans to reach roughly 70 flights per day by 2025 and including multiple new domestic and international markets.

Starting Oct. 7, JetBlue will operate non-stop service between LAX and seven new markets -- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas, Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport in Montana seasonally, Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, Reno-Tahoe International Airport, Salt Lake City International Airport, San Francisco International Airport and Seattle- Tacoma International Airport.

"LAX is one of JetBlue's most successful markets and offers the valuable opportunity to grow significantly both domestically and internationally while introducing our low fares on more routes," said Scott Laurence, JetBlue's head of revenue and planning. "The transition to LAX, serving as the anchor of our focus city strategy on the West Coast, sets JetBlue up for success in Southern California. We continue to seize on opportunities to emerge from this pandemic a stronger competitive force in the industry."

JetBlue -- which began service at LAX in 2009 -- noted that more people start or end their journey at LAX than any other airport in the world, and that its 24-hour-a-day operations and customs and immigrations facilities allow the airline more flexibility in future flight and destination scheduling.

More than 150 JetBlue crew members are based at LAX, with the number expected to grow to nearly 700 with the additional fights and the move of crew and maintenance bases from Long Beach to LAX, officials said.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.