JetBlue Airways has withdrawn its complaint against the Dutch government after securing favourable summer take-off and landing slots at Amsterdam’s Schipol airport, but warns that it will renew the fight for access to the busy European hub if necessary.
In a 6 March letter from the US Department of Transportation (DOT), JetBlue was notified that its complaint – filed in response to tight capacity restraints that threatened its access to Schiphol – has been dismissed, as it had requested last month.
”JetBlue has successfully worked with the slot coordinator at [Schiphol], the European Commission and KLM to secure historic-eligible slots for the summer 2024 scheduling season at commercially viable times,” says the DOT.
The New York-based carrier successfully launched transatlantic services from the East Coast of the USA in summer of 2023, but its initial request for continued slot access in Amsterdam was not granted.
It filed a complaint with the DOT in September 2023. US regulators sided with JetBlue, finding that “implementation of the government of the Netherlands’ Phase 1 noise reduction plan at Amsterdam airport… constituted unjustifiable and unreasonable activities” under the International Air Transportation Fair Competitive Practices Act.
European Commission regulators also took a favourable view of JetBlue’s case, as it said last month it would have intervened if the US carrier had been unable secure “appropriate access” to Schiphol.
“JetBlue has improved its slot portfolio at Amsterdam airport during the later phases of the slot allocation procedure and has eventually obtained all the slots it needs to continue operating at Amsterdam airport throughout the IATA summer 2024 season,” the commission said. “As a result, consumers will not be deprived of choice at a time of strong demand for transatlantic services.”
In December, Royal Schiphol Group decided to increase summertime slot capacity at its Amsterdam hub to 483,000 flights from its initially slated 460,000 flights.
JetBlue has indicated that it will again seek intervention from US regulators should its Amsterdam slots come under threat in the future.
“We note that the department has continued the engage with the government of the Netherlands an the European Commission through formal consultations and other dialogue on these matters,” the DOT says. ”Although we are granting JetBlue’s request to terminate this proceeding, we fully intend to continue our diplomatic efforts and seek resolution to all of the issues and concerns discussed.”
