JetBlue files complaint to keep Amsterdam slots

Only four months since dropping its original complaint against the Dutch government, JetBlue has filed a new one against the state and the European Union. The US airline fears that under the latest capacity reduction plan, it will be expulsed from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport at the end of March. JetBlue only launched services to Amsterdam in late August.

JetBlue has been aware that its long-term position at Schiphol is most uncertain, as CEO Robin Hayes

confirmed on August 30 during a media roundtable on the occasion of the inaugural New York-Amsterdam service. In March, the carrier did secure slots for this summer season, which ends on October 28, and for the winter season until March 30. Hayes said that he was working very hard to get slots for the 2024 summer season as well, but was fully aware that he might not get them.

Now that the Dutch government has announced that under an experimental rule, the number of slots at Schiphol will be capped at 460.000 from March and at 452.500 movements from November 2024, slot coordinator ACNL cannot confirm if JetBlue will be granted slots for the next summer. While the winter slots have historic rights, the summer slots don’t. As the outcome of an appeal procedure launched by airlines (including JetBlue and Airlines 4 America) against the experimental rule and capacity reduction could take until Q2 next year, JetBlue says that there is “near mathematical certainty” that it will not have slots for the 2024 summer schedule. Especially as airlines have until October 5 to submit requests for the summer season.