JetBlue may not be flying to Amsterdam come next summer.
Oct 4, 2023, 12:34 pm
#1
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JetBlue may not be flying to Amsterdam come next summer.
This was part of an existing thread, but I thought it worth a thread if its own as this could be very bad news for JetBlue and their customers. I was just about to book 5 tickets for a family long weekend, some of us flying from New York and some for Boston.
JetBlue Files Complaint Against Dutch Government Over Schiphol Cuts, Urging U.S. Officials to Impose “Countermeasures”
JetBlue Files Complaint Against Dutch Government Over Schiphol Cuts, Urging U.S. Officials to Impose “Countermeasures”
JetBlue has filed an official complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation over the Dutch government’s plans to reduce noise pollution around Amsterdam Schiphol Airport by drastically cutting the number of flights allowed to take off and land at the country’s hub airport.
In its complaint, JetBlue says the ‘draconian and unfair’ policy will see its total ‘elimination’ from Amsterdam’s air travel market after less than a year of operating flights to the Netherlands.
JetBlue had to fight to acquire slots at Schiphol Airport and previously threatened legal action before the Dutch regulator relented and released two pairs of slots, allowing JetBlue to launch flights from New York JFK and Boston.
The inaugural JetBlue service to Amsterdam from New York JFK took off on August 29, while the Boston followed followed less than a month later on September 20.
The Dutch slot coordinator has so far only released takeoff and landing rights to JetBlue up until the end of March 2024, and at that point, JetBlue now fears the slots will be permanently withdrawn due to the government’s ‘aggressive’ noise reduction plans.
In its complaint, JetBlue says the ‘draconian and unfair’ policy will see its total ‘elimination’ from Amsterdam’s air travel market after less than a year of operating flights to the Netherlands.
JetBlue had to fight to acquire slots at Schiphol Airport and previously threatened legal action before the Dutch regulator relented and released two pairs of slots, allowing JetBlue to launch flights from New York JFK and Boston.
The inaugural JetBlue service to Amsterdam from New York JFK took off on August 29, while the Boston followed followed less than a month later on September 20.
The Dutch slot coordinator has so far only released takeoff and landing rights to JetBlue up until the end of March 2024, and at that point, JetBlue now fears the slots will be permanently withdrawn due to the government’s ‘aggressive’ noise reduction plans.
Oct 4, 2023, 2:07 pm
#2
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A solution will likely be found. Otherwise DL/KL will lose frequencies to the US from AMS. KLM will have enough problems with inability to grow in the future and are not going to want to lose capacity to the US.
B6 is using one of the quietest and most fuel efficient planes flying from AMS to the US which is a benefit for Dutch officials looking for quieter and more fuel efficient aircraft servicing the airport to mitigate noise and climate impacts.
B6 is using one of the quietest and most fuel efficient planes flying from AMS to the US which is a benefit for Dutch officials looking for quieter and more fuel efficient aircraft servicing the airport to mitigate noise and climate impacts.
Oct 10, 2023, 7:21 am
#3
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Refund for Cancelled Amsterdam flight?
As previously discussed, flights next summer to and from Amsterdam may not happen due to loss of AMS slots. Meanwhile, JetBlue is still making reservations for flights between US and AMS. Am I correct in assuming that if JetBlue cancels those flights, I will be due a full refund to my original method of payment?
Oct 10, 2023, 5:42 pm
#4
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As previously discussed, flights next summer to and from Amsterdam may not happen due to loss of AMS slots. Meanwhile, JetBlue is still making reservations for flights between US and AMS. Am I correct in assuming that if JetBlue cancels those flights, I will be due a full refund to my original method of payment?
Oct 11, 2023, 2:25 pm
#5
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The US and the Netherlands have an open skies agreement so if the Netherlands arbitrarily decides to prohibit US carriers from starting new service to AMS, then the US should be able to take away the rights of KLM/DL to operate their flights. Thus a settlement is likely to be reached. Otherwise, if there is an agreed upon cap on the total number of flights which can be operated between the US and AMS then the slots would need to be divided up in a fair way among all the US carriers that want to operate. The easiest option would be for short haul flights to be cut. BRU-AMS for instance could easily be eliminated and replaced with a rail connection to make room for intercontinental flights.
Nov 2, 2023, 9:13 am
#7
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And on that note...
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...n?srnd=premium
JetBlue Airways Corp. lost access to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport next summer after the Dutch government trimmed capacity at the European hub, limiting takeoff and landing rights across all airlines.
-J.
Nov 2, 2023, 8:24 pm
#10
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The U.S. Department of Transportation is going to have to retaliate. The U.S. has an Open Skies agreement with the EU, the fact that these cuts mean a carrier like JetBlue will be completely unable to operate at Schiphol is a violation of the treaty. Defenders of the Dutch side claim that the capacity cuts are not truly anti-competitive as KLM will also be affected, however KLM is already dominant both at its home airport and on transatlantic routes to North America, so the cuts will affect it much less than a competitor like JetBlue, which stands to lose its entire business at the airport.
Nov 2, 2023, 8:43 pm
#11
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"ACNL informed the KLM group which includes Transavia that it will have to reduce its historical allocation by 5,700 slots compared to this summer. Delta Air Lines Inc. has been told to cut 252 landing and takeoff rights and Easyjet Plc will have to lose 693 slots."
https://www.ajot.com/news/jetblue-ba...er-2024-season
Nov 3, 2023, 9:19 am
#12
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The DOT has accepted JetBlue's complaint as well as the complaint which Airlines for America filed. KLM and any other Dutch carrier has to file their proposed schedules to/from the US. Depending on the outcome of diplomatic discussions, the DOT can take further steps including dimantling the JV between DL/KL on routes between the US and the Netherlands, ban KLM codeshares with DL within the US, take away their slots at JFK, etc. It seems highly likely that this will get resolved.
Nov 3, 2023, 9:03 pm
#14
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As I understand it, KLM is fighting it as well. The airline doesn't want to have a forced reduction in its services any more than JetBlue wants to stop flying to Schiphol. The reason that KLM is the target for retaliation is because this is the best way to pressure the Dutch. The U.S. can take away a very valuable privilege, like the Delta-KLM joint venture or KLM's landing rights at JFK, in order to punish the Dutch side if landing rights aren't restored to JetBlue.
Nov 4, 2023, 4:57 am
#15
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As I understand it, KLM is fighting it as well. The airline doesn't want to have a forced reduction in its services any more than JetBlue wants to stop flying to Schiphol. The reason that KLM is the target for retaliation is because this is the best way to pressure the Dutch. The U.S. can take away a very valuable privilege, like the Delta-KLM joint venture or KLM's landing rights at JFK, in order to punish the Dutch side if landing rights aren't restored to JetBlue.