JetBlue blasts FAA for staffing shortage as it cuts 10% of NYC departures

JetBlue Airways announced it will cut its departing flights from New York City airports this summer by 10% after blaming the Federal Aviation Administration for not hiring enough air traffic controllers.

“We’re obviously very concerned about New York City for the summer,” JetBlue President Joanna Geraghty said during an earnings call on Tuesday.

“The FAA continues to be significantly understaffed. This is a continuing issue and frankly it’s only getting worse this summer.”

Geraghty said that the reduction in flights out of Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark this summer will have a “pretty significant financial impact” on the Queens-based airline.

JetBlue warned last month of the flight cuts, citing the lack of a sufficient number of air traffic controllers.

The airline said it will not move flights that were cut from the New York area to other cities.

Instead, it will use the extra crews and aircraft as reserves to help offset delays in other cities.

“We’re very prepared for this summer,” Geraghty said. “Most airlines are. Unfortunately, the FAA is not.”

The Post has sought comment from the FAA.

Last month, the agency predicted a 45% increase in flight delays along the East Coast this summer compared to the same time in 2022.

Last summer saw more than 40,000 delays at New York City-area airports.

Analysts say that the FAA has struggled to hire enough air traffic controllers since the slowdown in air travel caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Staffing levels are at a 30-year low — with two in 10 air traffic controller positions remaining unfilled nationwide, according to the National Air Traffic Controller Association.

The FAA has said it plans to hire about 1,500 controllers this year and another 1,800 next year to catch up on pandemic-related training backlogs, according to Flying magazine.

The FAA has indicated that it will waive some of its slot rules at airports in New York and Washington, DC, in hopes of preventing a bottleneck.

Slot regulations are used to govern air traffic in airports that are considered extremely busy.

Normally, airlines that fail to use their assigned rights, or “slots,” at JFK, LaGuardia, and Reagan National Airport outside Washington, risk losing them.

However, regulators waived the rule in March 2020 when airlines cut flights due to the pandemic.

Last year, JetBlue had 36,100 flights that were at least 15 minutes late, though the delays were not caused by FAA-related staffing issues or weather.

The Biden Justice Department last month sued to block JetBlue’s pending $3.8 billion acquisition of Spirit Airlines, arguing the deal would rob millions of American travelers of low-cost flying options.