United Airlines Will Cease Operations at New York’s JFK Airport Without Additional Slots

In spring 2021, United Airlines resumed service from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York after a five-year break.

“I’ve been eager to announce this—United Airlines is back at JFK,” said CEO Scott Kirby during the announcement of the return, which began with one daily flight to both San Francisco and Los Angeles.

However, this comeback might be brief. United recently announced that it will halt operations at JFK by the end of October unless federal regulators grant permission for more flights, allowing them to better compete with rivals like JetBlue and American.

In a letter to Billy Nolen, the acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), CEO Scott Kirby outlined the airline’s plans last week.

The FAA stated on Wednesday that if more takeoff and landing slots at JFK become available, it will adhere to a “well-established process of fairly awarding them to enhance competition.”

United's return to JFK was facilitated by newly available slots resulting from a decrease in air travel due to the pandemic.

“There is now more capacity at the airport than pre-pandemic levels,” said Josh Earnest, United’s chief communication officer, during a press call when United first announced the move in November 2020. “Recent runway construction at JFK, along with a notable decline in foreign carriers operating there, has significantly increased available capacity.”

As a result, United secured slots that enabled it to start offering round-trip, nonstop flights between JFK and both San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) beginning March 28, 2021. This allowed United to operate at all three major New York area airports, including Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), its current East Coast hub, and LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in Queens.

“We see this as an opportunity to better serve travelers who prefer JFK airport,” Earnest remarked.

United exited JFK in October 2015, shifting much of its service to Newark, a move described by travel industry publication Skift as a “head-scratcher” and later acknowledged by United as a mistake, especially considering that many West Coast travelers prefer flying into New York rather than New Jersey, Skift reported.

The FAA restricts takeoff and landing slots at the major airports in the New York City area to mitigate congestion. United, which has struggled to acquire slots from other airlines, contends that JFK has potential for expansion due to enhancements like wider runways and new taxiways.

Currently, United operates just two daily flights from JFK to both Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Reporting contributed by Associated Press.