United to Abandon JFK, Move Premium Service to EWR Hub in Push For Focused Operations
Jeff Edwards June 16, 2015
United is moving its Premium Service coast-to-coast flights from JFK to EWR ahead of a move to focus New York operations at the former Continental Airlines hub in New Jersey.
Elite flyers hoping to take advantage of international-style cabins and service on coast-to-coast United Airlines Premium Service (PS) flights will soon find themselves heading to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) rather than John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
CNBC reports the legacy carrier will cease its PS service from JFK to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in October, thus eliminating United’s presence at New York’s largest airport. From October 25, United will offer those PS flights to LAX and SFO on Boeing 757 out of its EWR hub.
“Our customer base in New York is clearly served out of the Newark hub,” United Vice Chairman Jim Compton told Flight Global. “When we talk to our customers, where they’d like to see that product [PS] is out of our hub.”
United has struggled to turn a profit on transcontinental flights to and from JFK. Moving the flights to EWR will give passengers easy access to United’s entire east coast route map and hundreds of international destinations. United has reportedly agreed give Delta Air Lines the last of its JFK slots in exchange for some of Delta’s slots at EWR. The proposed slot swap still requires final approval from regulators.
In addition to giving United customers more connecting flight options, moving all flights from JFK to EWR will allow the airline to consolidate its New York City operations. The airline expects to see millions of dollars in savings from the decreased overhead.
As many as 270 United employees could be made redundant as a result of the proposed realignment, but the airline says it will work to find jobs for these employees elsewhere in its system. United has not announced any plans to reduce or eliminate its operations at New York’s other major airport, LaGuardia (LGA).
[Photo: United Airlines]
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Long before the UA-CO merger, UA reduced themselves to nothing at JFK. They used to fly to LHR, EZE, HKG and other long haul destinations. There are enough *A carriers at JFK that, had 9/11 not happened, they might have been able to build up JFK into a mega *A hub (like FRA), but instead chose to retreat and focus IAD and ORD. The writing for PS service was on the wall as far back as when the merger was announced. When AA, DL, B6 and VX all offered competing, better products with a strong customer base, there was little choice.
United is the only airline in the history of aviation to not make a profit at JFK. I also don't get why they would consolidate their operations at EWR, when they bemoan the fact that they have to pay more to operate there. I thought they wanted to cut costs. :-P
I think this is a good move since PS customers can now connect to other flights without a trek to LGA or EWR and for O&D, personally I find EWR to have easier access to Manhattan than JFK (at least AS easy if not). The one downside I can see is that now the front cabin will get a lot harder to get since people already paying for F on transcon will go for the PS instead of one of the craptastic 737's that are usually on the LAX/SFO-EWR routes now.
Sorry...how many other mergers did Eric Holder "approve?" If you have issues with mergers, talk to the people who run/ran the airlines. Into the ground.
So looks like I'll be on AA more now for my transcon service. Going between EWR and Long Island is way too tedious.