jetBlue Aircraft Parked at Stand #1 at the V.C. Bird International Airport (photo by Cory Wayland)
JetBlue Airways will discontinue its nonstop service between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Antigua’s V.C. Bird International Airport (ANU) later this year, bringing an end to one of the airline’s direct links between Antigua and the United States.
The decision comes as JetBlue restructures its network to free up aircraft for a major expansion at its growing Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport hub following the collapse of Spirit Airlines.
The airline confirmed that the Antigua route will officially end on October 31, 2026, making Antigua one of only two destinations, along with Daytona Beach, Florida, from which JetBlue will completely withdraw.
For Antigua and Barbuda, the move represents the loss of another nonstop option to the important New York market, a route heavily used by tourists, members of the Antiguan and Barbudan diaspora, and business travellers.
In a statement explaining the decision, JetBlue said the changes are part of a broader strategic realignment of its network.
“JetBlue has announced plans to grow to 150 daily flights in Fort Lauderdale. To enable our expansion there, we are ending service on several underperforming routes in other parts of our network, freeing up aircraft availability for our new Fort Lauderdale flights,” the airline said.
JetBlue said customers affected by the cancellations will be contacted directly and offered alternative travel arrangements where available or a full refund to their original form of payment.
The Antigua route is one of seven being removed from the airline’s network this fall.
In addition to Antigua, JetBlue will discontinue flights between:
* New York (JFK) and Vero Beach, Florida;
* New York (JFK) and Daytona Beach, Florida;
* New York (JFK) and Chicago O’Hare;
* New York (JFK) and Nashville;
* Boston and Daytona Beach.
The airline will also suspend its seasonal Boston-Amsterdam service during the winter, with flights expected to resume in late March 2027.
The latest reductions follow additional network changes announced by JetBlue in June, when the carrier revealed plans to close its inflight and maintenance bases at Newark Liberty International Airport and New York LaGuardia Airport. It also confirmed the end of its seasonal Newark-Los Angeles and Newark-Las Vegas services.
The route shake-up comes as JetBlue rapidly expands operations in Fort Lauderdale. Industry schedule data show the airline has significantly increased capacity at the South Florida airport, making it the fastest-growing focus city in JetBlue’s network.
At the same time, the carrier has been scaling back operations in the New York area, with scheduled seat capacity from JFK declining while Newark has experienced even steeper reductions.
The end of the JFK-Antigua service is expected to reduce travel options for passengers flying between Antigua and the northeastern United States. However, the destination will continue to be served by other airlines operating between Antigua and New York.
JetBlue has not indicated whether it intends to restore the Antigua route in the future.
They should after carnival no business, we don’t have visa to America who flying on the returning flights 🤔 trickle down effect, the other airlines will raise price for the empty returning seats, we need visa back, or no third party deportation in our country, we salt, same thing will happen with EU.
This is a sad day !! As a regular customer, I relied on Blue for my commute to JFK!
To use the “other one” is going to be a pain as I can foresee crazier ticket prices #smh
Blame the orange man. That visa restriction will hurt his country too. No more traffic. Antiguans travel alot to the US but with no visa…oh well.
Hate the orange man yes, but why we let him have his way with us and we get nothing in return meaning the locals lmao 🤣
This is only the begining of whats to come