Jan 27 (Reuters) – JetBlue Airways on Tuesday posted a bigger-than-expected loss for the fourth quarter hurt by muted demand for economy seats, sending the carrier’s shares down more than 8% in morning trade.
The airline posted an adjusted loss of 49 cents per share for the quarter ended December 31, compared with a year-ago loss of 21 cents per share. Analysts expected a loss of 45 cents apiece, according to data compiled by LSEG.
Chief Executive Joanna Geraghty said that macroeconomic uncertainty had impeded the carrier’s return to profitability in 2025.
JetBlue posted operating revenues of $2.24 billion for the October-to-December period, compared with analysts’ estimates of $2.23 billion.
U.S. carriers are leaning on premium growth and loyalty programs to offset tepid main cabin demand and the resulting downward pressure on economy fares.
JetBlue forecast first-quarter revenue per available seat mile (RASM), an industry metric commonly known as unit revenue and a proxy for pricing power, between 0.0% to 4%, which excludes the impact of the winter storm that disrupted air travel across a wide swath of the country over the weekend.
JetBlue canceled nearly 600 flights on Sunday the worst day of disruptions.
The New-York based carrier expects mid-single digit average aircraft to be grounded in 2026 due to RTX’s Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan engine issues.
Peer Alaska Airlines last week forecast full-year profit below analysts’ expectations, citing seasonality, fuel-price volatility and economic uncertainty.
(Reporting by Anshuman Tripathy in Bengaluru and Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
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