JetBlue hits pause on plans for seasonal Halifax-Boston flight

A New York-based airline is pausing its plans for a daily seasonal flight between Halifax and Boston because of a lack of uptake, even as the province's largest airport says travel to and from the U.S. is up so far this year.

JetBlue had announced the new route from Boston Logan International Airport to Halifax Stanfield International Airport in January.

But in a statement Wednesday, the company said it is "pausing" its plans for the flight because "bookings have not met expectations."

"This is one of the necessary steps we are taking to manage our business through softer-than-expected travel demand this year and economic uncertainty," the company said.

"We know this change may be disappointing for those who had already booked travel, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. All impacted customers will receive full refunds."

JetBlue added that it would "continue to evaluate the possibility of launching service to Halifax next summer."

At the time it was announced, the Halifax airport called it "a game-changing addition" to its roster that would boost Nova Scotia's economy and strengthen the Atlantic region's connectivity to New England.

JetBlue declined a request for an interview, as did the Halifax Stanfield International Airport.

In a statement Thursday, a spokesperson for the airport said the news that JetBlue would not be offering the flight this year was "disappointing."

"The current tariff environment and its impact on Canadian travel to the U.S. have created a challenging time for introducing a new U.S. carrier to the market," Jessica Pettigrew said in an email.

Travel to U.S. surges

Nevertheless, Pettigrew said travel to and from the U.S. has increased this year.

The airport said 91,462 passengers travelled between Halifax Stanfield and the U.S. between Jan. 1 and March 31, representing a 55 per cent increase over the same period last year, and an eight per cent increase over the same period in 2019.

The statistics include arriving and departing passengers and are exclusively associated with non-stop services.

Meanwhile, figures from Statistics Canada show a dramatic increase in passengers who completed pre-boarding screening at the Halifax airport before travelling to the U.S. Here's the breakdown:

• January 2024 saw 8,677 transborder passengers, compared to 12,760 this January.
• February 2024 saw 10,364 transborder passengers, compared to 16,395 this February.
• March 2024 saw 12,673 transborder passengers, compared to 17,629 this March.

Nationally, the number of return air travel trips among Canadians travelling to the U.S. was down by 13.5 per cent in March.

Increased seat capacity

Pettigrew said a number of factors contribute to passenger statistics. She noted there was an increase in seat capacity this year, but also "ongoing political tensions between Canada."

She said no other airlines have reduced their services at the airport, and some are even expanding services.

"American Airlines has increased its seat capacity on the Halifax-Washington route from August through October and will operate daily during peak summer," she said.

"We will also see American Airlines and United Airlines launch new summer services to Chicago."

As well, airlines are expanding services to various parts of Canada from Halifax due to increased demand for tourists travelling east this summer, said Pettigrew.

WestJet recently announced the launch of summer service between Halifax and Barcelona. It has also added Saskatoon and Regina as new domestic markets, reinstated service to Vancouver and added capacity on their existing Toronto, Winnipeg and Edmonton routes. 

Both Porter and Air Canada have increased domestic capacity across their networks.