JetBlue to drop some domestic routes; seeks Canada authority

JetBlue Airlines is planning to discontinue service on four domestic routes, and has filed fro government approvals to begin flying between the U.S. and Canada. On January 6, JetBlue will drop its service to Columbus, Ohio from New York JFK and Boston Logan; on the same date, it will drop its JFK-Nashville flights as well. And on January 13, JetBlue will axe its transcontinental service between Oakland and Ft. Lauderdale. The company said business on the affected routes has not been meeting expectations, so it will redeploy its assets elsewhere. Meanwhile, the Toronto Globe and Mail reported that JetBlue has filed applications to begin transborder service between the U.S. and Canada, although it did not mention any specific routes yet. According to the newspaper, JetBlue is expected to begin flying some charters to Canada next spring, but will wait to hear word on its application for scheduled service rights before announcing new routes. The newspaper quoted JetBlue officials as saying that the transborder market is lacking significant low-fare competition.