JetBlue drops one of its newest international destinations

JetBlue filed plans to exit one of its newest international destinations as it continues to tweak its route map as part of a broader effort to return to profitability.

The New York-based carrier will cease flying to Bonaire’s Flamingo International Airport (BON) on Jan. 3, 2026, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.

Bonaire, a Caribbean island that’s part of the Netherlands, is one of JetBlue’s newest destinations. The airline began service there Nov. 5, 2024, as part of a network shake-up that included new service to St. Vincent and the Grenadines and an expansion in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Bonaire seemingly fit the bill for a destination for JetBlue’s leisure-focused route map, and as the airline continues with its push toward profitability under the JetForward strategy, it has redoubled its efforts to be the primary leisure carrier for New Yorkers and Bostonians.

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Flying to Bonaire was originally a leisure play (unlike many of the primarily business destinations that’ve been cut in recent months, like Charlotte and Minneapolis), so it’s interesting to see that this destination wasn’t working for JetBlue.

It turns out that the reason it’s being cut might explain why the airline is pulling the plug so quickly.

In a statement confirming the move, JetBlue said that “we’re always working to fine-tune our network to best align with customer demand and support our long-term success. As part of this, JetBlue will end its once-weekly service between New York (JFK) and Bonaire (BON) after local authorities informed us they will be ending a multi-year revenue guarantee early.”

Airlines sometimes receive subsidies and minimum revenue guarantees to operate certain strategic flights, and instead of flying at what would likely be a loss, JetBlue is cutting its losses quickly.

While the details of the revenue guarantee remain confidential, the writing was probably already on the wall for Bonaire’s poor performance for JetBlue.

JetBlue originally entered the market with up to two weekly flights but cut the second frequency at the end of August. The once-weekly schedule will continue through the last day of service, which is Jan. 3, 2026.

Even without JetBlue, Bonaire will still be served from the New York City area. United Airlines offers once-weekly flights there from Newark (as well as from Houston), while American Airlines flies up to four times a week from Miami. Delta Air Lines also flies to Bonaire once a week from Atlanta.

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