JetBlue shifts focus from Long Beach amid pandemic-driven changes

The airline announced plans to increase its presence at LAX with over 30 daily flights and continue serving Southern California through other airports like Ontario International Airport (ONT), Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), and San Diego International Airport (SAN).

JetBlue's decision also aligned with its long-term goal of strengthening its position in the premium transcontinental market by offering mint business class service on all transcontinental flights from LAX. According to Business Wire, this move was part of JetBlue's ongoing efforts to expand its presence at LAX and capture more of the lucrative transcontinental market.

The closure of JetBlue's base at Long Beach had noticeable effects on the airport's market dynamics. Southwest Airlines significantly increased its market share at LGB following JetBlue's departure. The current market share distribution shows Southwest Airlines leading with 84.82%, followed by Hawaiian Airlines at 6.92%, SkyWest Airlines at 5.91%, Mesa Airlines at 2.27%, and Delta Air Lines holding just 0.07%.

While some might expect loyal JetBlue passengers from Long Beach would travel further to fly out of LAX, statistics indicate otherwise. In 2019, LGB saw 3.58 million passengers; however, by 2023 that number had grown beyond pre-pandemic levels to over 3.7 million passengers annually.

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