JetBlue Wins Slots at New York LaGuardia After Spirit’s Collapse — Here’s What It Means for Flyers

When Spirit Airlines collapsed earlier this year, it left a void in many markets. Now, JetBlue has shared that it will take over many of Spirit’s former slot pairs at one of the most important (and congested) airports in the country: LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York City.

Here’s everything you need to know about the situation and what it means for flyers heading to or departing from New York’s close-in airport.

JetBlue Acquires Many of Spirit’s Former LaGuardia Slots

We’ve already seen some airlines step in and add more flights between Spirit’s former destinations, but at some airports, it’s not as simple as deciding to add flights and then doing so.

LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York City is one such airport. It’s a very busy airport operating in some of the world’s most congested airspace, so the number of flights airlines can offer is controlled by the so-called slot system, which dictates specific departure and arrival times.

LaGuardia is one of 3 slot-controlled airports in the country. The other 2 are John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C.

Spirit left several slots at LGA when it collapsed, resulting in them going unused. Now, after working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), JetBlue has acquired 12 of Spirit’s former slots at the airport, allowing it to significantly expand its operations there.

The airline has been using 13 daily slots at LGA, so its acquisition of 12 new slots will nearly double its presence there. However, the carrier still needs to secure additional regulatory approvals and has stated that it doesn’t plan to use its new slots until next year.

JetBlue also indicated that it wants to move into the Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia, which was Spirit’s former home at the airport and is well known for its art deco architecture.

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Final Thoughts

JetBlue is poised to almost double its route offerings at New York’s LaGuardia Airport next year after acquiring most of the slots left over from Spirit’s demise.

The New York-based carrier also plans to move into the Marine Air Terminal, which was most recently used by Spirit, to accommodate its larger presence. We don’t know which routes the carrier will add at this point, but we’d imagine that at least some of them will be former Spirit routes.

At any rate, we should find out fairly soon, as JetBlue hopes to start these new routes next year.