United Airlines said Tuesday that it will stop running flights through New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on October 25, while bulking up its flights via Newark, N.J.
The airline has failed to post profits from its JFK routes over the past seven years, according to Reuters. United offered relatively few connections to other cities via JFK. By consolidating flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, United will look to offer more connection options to travelers flying on profitable transcontinental flights connecting the New York metro area with Los Angeles and San Francisco.
United, a unit of United Continental Holdings (UAL), also noted that the move will bring the airline’s “Premium Service” Boeing 757 aircraft to Newark Liberty, boosting the number of the carrier’s “BusinessFirst” cabins available out of Newark by 44%. United also said the move also gives it the most round-trip seats available flying from Newark to Los Angeles and San Francisco (up to 10,000 round-trip seats daily).
United has agreed to exchange its flight slots at JFK with Delta Air Lines (DAL) in exchange for Delta’s slots at Newark. United will continue to fly dozens of daily flights out of New York’s LaGuardia Airport.